


Charming

by bonniepride



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: M/M, fairy tale AU, prince! Tadashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:41:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21623926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bonniepride/pseuds/bonniepride
Summary: One day while walking around campus after classes Fred accidentally runs (literally) into the guy of his dreams. Tadashi Hamada is charming, kind, brilliant-essentially the perfect fairy tale prince charming who sweeps him off his feet. What Fred doesn't know is that there may be more to Tadashi's other-worldly princeliness than just his imagination.
Relationships: Ezra Bridger/Hiro Hamada, Fred | Fredzilla/Tadashi Hamada
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

It was a beautiful, sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. It was the perfect kind of day to be outside soaking up some vitamin D. Even Fred, who, as a nerd, usually shunned being outdoors more than was necessary (why go outside when the comic books and video games were all inside?), hadn’t been able to resist the magnetic pull of the buttery yellow rays of sunshine coming in through the windows of the campus library. His family’s cook, Marie, had been after him to get some sun in before he turned into a total wraith and he figured that, if nothing else, by going outside he could get her off his case for at least one day. Besides which, he had to admit that walking around the SFIT campus was quite enjoyable when he actually took the time to do it. As one of the best technology schools in the entire world, they took image very seriously and so the entire school grounds were cultivated to pristine perfection. 

Fred was busy getting lost in a happy daydream as he wandered past the Ito Ishioka building, plotting out the events of his latest fanfic, when he suddenly heard someone crying out in what sounded like distress. He barely had time to turn to investigate when he felt something solid and warm crashing into him. Moments later, he found himself falling to the pavement, his head cracking hard against the concrete. 

He’s dully aware of the sounds of heavy items falling to the ground around him, making sharp slapping noises as they make purchase. What he’s much, much more aware of, aside from the painful throbbing at the base of his skull, is the fact that there is a human being lying on top of him. Make that a very  _ attractive _ human being lying on top of him, his brain chooses to helpfully point out as he gazes up at the man who had just knocked him down. 

“Oh my goodness, are you alright?” It takes a moment for Fred to realize that the other man was addressing him, gently but quickly pushing himself up and off of him. Fred’s body momentarily protests the lack of contact, but it was quickly pacified as the other man pulls him up into a seated position and starts checking over for injuries. 

“Are you feeling any pain? Does it feel like anything’s broken?” 

“Uh…” Fred’s brain was too distracted by the face of the gorgeous man he was looking at to be able to form a cognizant reply. He wasn’t even sure of his own name at the moment, how was he supposed a question like that?

“No blood,” the handsome stranger mutters, sounding relieved as he checks the back of Fred’s head. “Still, there could be internal damage… I had better have Baymax take a look at you just to be on the safe side. Are you able to walk?”

Fred nods, having no idea if his legs would actually cooperate and hold his weight in his somewhat lovestruck state but hoping for the best.

“All right then. Just let me have one second to… I am so sorry, I cannot believe that I wasn’t even looking where I was going…” The other man starts picking up things from off the ground, and Fred realizes that the things he had heard falling before were textbooks. It only took a moment for the stranger to gather the books and shove them into his backpack, and then he was standing and offering Fred his hand to help him up.

Fred takes the offered hand, slowly making his way to his feet. He was actually feeling pretty steady when he suddenly feels incredibly strong arms supporting him, lifting him up off of the ground and carrying him like a princess. 

“Just to be on the safe side, until I can make sure that you’re alright,” a firm, if somewhat concerned voice tells him. 

Fred wasn’t about to argue with that, so he just closes his eyes to block out the rest of the world, enjoying the warmth of the strong chest he was pressed up against. He senses movement, and after about a minute he hears the sound of a door opening, followed by the chill blow of an AC unit and muted voices around him. Maybe he should have been more concerned about the fact that a total stranger was carrying him only God knew where, but somehow he felt incredibly safe, and he focuses on the other man’s deep, steady breathing to help distract himself from the dull pain at the back of his skull.

An indeterminate amount of time later, Fred feels himself being set down on something soft, and he lets out a whine of protest as he loses contact with the warmth his body had quickly become acclimated to. But instead of picking him back up, the other man moves away, his footsteps lightly echoing on the floor and the voice from before calling out, “Baymax! Baymax, there’s someone who needs your help!”

These words are followed by a soft  _ whoosh _ of air, as if something was inflating, and then a soft, slightly mechanical voice answers, “How can I help you,Tadashi?”

Tadashi. So that was the stranger’s name. Fred happily tucks this piece of information away for future use.

“I knocked this poor man down just outside the building by accident. He hit his head, and he hasn’t spoken since--I think that I might have given him a concussion!” Tadashi says, sounding incredibly guilty. 

Fred opens his eyes, wanting to tell Tadashi not to feel bad since he hadn’t been paying attention to where he was going either. But before he can get a word out, he’s confronted with the sight of what looked like a man made out of marshmallows standing over him.

“W-What the hell?” Fred gasps, wondering if he was hallucinating. 

“Hello, I am Baymax!” the marshmallow man chirps. 

“It’s alright!” Tadashi comes hurrying over, one of his large, strong hands wrapping around Fred’s, something in his deep brown eyes making the injured patient relax slightly. “He’s here to help. He’s a robotic nurse, and I’m having him scan you to make sure that you’re not hurt too badly.”

“A robotic… nurse?” Fred repeats a bit blearily. “I-I didn’t know that SFIT had those…”

“Just this one,” Tadashi answers, a sparkle coming into his eyes as he gently sits down next to Fred on what had turned out to be a couch, obviously trying to be careful not to jostle him. “I made him.” 

“You made him?” Fred looks up at him in awe. He was as handsome as a fairytale prince,  _ and  _ he was a genius on top of it? How much more perfect could he get?

“He was my project to get into SFIT--I’ve been working to improve him ever since, and he’s come a long way,” Tadashi tells him, a small hint of pride making its way into his voice. 

“I have diagnosed the patient.” Baymax’s voice breaks in, keeping Fred from saying anything more.

“What’s the verdict?” Tadashi asks, sounding guilty again. 

“There is no major injury, only a light epidermal abrasion and some minor bruising.” Baymax answers. “I recommend taking a break from any strenuous activities for a day or two to allow time for healing. I also recommend a cold compress and acetaminophen for the pain.”

“That’s wonderful!” Tadashi’s face breaks out into a relieved grin, only to look down at Fred and quickly add, “Not to say that it’s wonderful that you’re hurt! I just mean that I am glad it’s not a concussion!” 

“Don’t worry, I know what you meant,” Fred reassures him.

“I still feel incredibly guilty, it is my fault that you’re hurt in the first place…”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Fred protests. “I wasn’t looking where I was going either, I probably stepped out in front of you and you just weren’t able to stop in time, so that makes this my fault!”

“I-I don’t know…” Tadashi frowns. “It all happened so quickly…”

“Exactly! I don’t think either of us fully know what happened, so let’s not play the blame game,” Fred says firmly. “You were super nice to bring me in here and have your robot take a look at me, so I’d say that’s more than enough!”

“I still feel this is my fault, and I’m in your debt until I find a way to make this right to you…” Tadashi answers, shaking his head. 

_ In my debt? _ Fred wonders. That was a rather old fashioned way of putting it. Still, maybe he could make this work to his advantage since Tadashi was obviously determined to do something to try to make this up to him.

“How about after I recover from this, you let me take you out to dinner?” Fred says, a playful grin crossing his face. 

“...Why would you want to take me out to dinner? Shouldn’t I be the one buying you dinner as repayment for the trouble I caused?” Tadashi asks, frowning in confusion. 

Okay, apparently Fred was going to have to be a little more direct with this. “What I meant was I’d like to take you out on a date.” Seeing the startled look on the other man’s face, he quickly adds, “O-Only if that’s okay with you! You don’t have to say yes if you don’t want to!”

“O-Oh, I see!” Tadashi ducks his head, a dusty rose color blooming on his cheeks. “Y-You wish to court me?” 

Wow, seriously, where were all these old fashioned phases coming from? Still, Fred found it endearing somehow and he answers, “Yes, I’m asking to… court you?” 

The words felt a little strange in his mouth, but when he sees Tadashi shyly biting his lower lip and turning away he was glad to see that they’d had their intended effect. 

“This is a bit forward… Usually my aunt would want to speak with you before allowing me to spend time with you as a potential romantic partner, especially as you are from here…” Tadashi says softly before meeting eyes with him again and continuing, “But I suppose that she doesn’t need to know until we’ve had a chance to get to know each other a bit better…”

Fred wasn’t opposed to meeting Tadashi’s aunt if that’s what it took to go out on a date with him. But if Tadashi wasn’t keen on having him meet his family just yet (and who could blame him when they’d only just met themselves and meeting the family was such a major step in a relationship?) he would respect that as well. 

“So… Does this mean that you’d be willing to go out on a date with me?” Fred asks slowly, just to make sure that he was understanding clearly.

“Yes,” Tadashi answers, still blushing but smiling now. “I think I would quite like that. But before I fully agree to it, I do need to know one thing.”

“Sure, anything!”

Fred felt a little bit of panic rising up in his chest--what if this was some super serious question, like asking about his religious or political affiliations or something else that might make his family disapprove of him? But then he relaxes as he hears Tadashi asking, “What’s your name?” 

“Oh, duh, obviously you need to know that!” Fred chuckles before telling him, “It’s Fred.”

“Fred,” Tadashi repeats with a warm smile. “It is very nice to meet you. My name is Pr-- I mean, Tadashi. J-Just Tadashi.”

Fred had to wonder what Tadashi had been about to say, but he wasn’t about to pry, especially when things were going so well. 

“It’s very nice to meet you too, Tadashi,” he says with a warm smile. “I have a good feeling that we’re going to be really great friends.”

Fred spent the rest of that afternoon in Tadashi’s office. Mostly Tadashi just insisted that he rest and made sure to keep him supplied with fresh ice packs to help the pain go away. Still, Fred was too active of a person to be able to just lie still without something to do, so he manages to convince Tadashi to talk to him to pass the time until someone could come pick him up, promising that he’d let him know if he started getting tired and needed to sleep. (Not that he was feeling tired at all, but Tadashi still didn’t seem fully convinced that he didn’t actually have a concussion of some sort, in spite of Baymax’s diagnosis.) 

Fred found out quite a bit about Tadashi during their time together--that he and his little brother, Hiro (who also went to SFIT), had been raised by their aunt since their parents had died when Tadashi was only eight; that he was a robotics major studying under Robert Callaghan, a pioneer in the field and one of the best known professors at the university; and that he was expected to take over the family business (he didn’t specify what the business was, exactly, just that there were a lot of people who apparently worked for and depended on it) once he graduated college and, while he didn’t mind the idea of running the business, he was worried about the responsibility that was going to fall on his shoulders. 

Fred, whose own father was the owner of a large corporation, was able to sympathize, although he personally had no interest in the family business and had been lucky enough that his father understood this and was willing to let him pursue his own dream of being a writer. Tadashi had smiled at that and told him that he was glad that his family was willing to listen to him and wasn’t forcing him to do something that he didn’t want to do, and Fred had wholeheartedly agreed. 

That’s as far as they got that day as at that point Fred’s family’s butler arrived to pick Fred up and take him home. Usually Fred would have done everything in his power to keep a new acquaintance from finding out that his family had a chauffeur as a lot of people throughout his life had thought that he was stuck up or spoiled because his family had a lot of money. But Tadashi, one of the most down-to-earth people he’d ever met, seemed to fully understand his situation, and, as such, Fred allows him to help him out to the limo (even though he didn’t really need the help), incredibly glad that he had when Tadashi lightly kisses his hand as a farewell gesture after depositing him in the back seat.

When Fred arrived home, he ended up being forced by Marie (who went into overprotective mother hen mode when she found out about his fall) to spend the rest of his weekend in the house. Fortunately he managed to talk her out of completely overreacting and sending him to the hospital in ambulance (she didn’t seem to put much trust in the diagnosis of a robotic nurse built by a student), but in exchange he had to promise to rest for the remainder of Friday and all of Saturday and Sunday. It was incredibly frustrating, as he’d hoped to take Tadashi out on a date that very weekend. Still, fortunately when he’d texted Tadashi the other man hadn’t seemed at all upset. He actually said that he completely agreed with Marie and that he felt Fred should wait until he was feeling better before they actually went out. So Fred whiled away the hours stuck in his room texting Tadashi, which was almost as good, if not better than being with him in person, as the more time he spent getting to know Tadashi the more he felt that he was starting to fall for him. 

Aside from an incredibly kind, caring heart (as evidenced by the fact that he was working so hard to create a robot that would help countless people), Tadashi had an adorably quirky sense of humor and shared many of Fred’s favorite fandoms. From what Fred could gather, Tadashi had grown up in a slightly sheltered home and wasn’t terribly up to date on a lot of media. But the fandoms that he was aware of (including  _ Lord of the Rings _ and  _ Harry Potter _ ) he was very enthusiastic about, and when Fred had offered to introduce him to more he had eagerly accepted.

By the time that they were actually able to get around to having a date (which, due to conflicting schedules, they weren’t actually able to manage until two weekends later), Fred was absolutely giddy with excitement. Tadashi had agreed to meet him at a small Italian restaurant just outside of campus for an early dinner, and when Fred arrived he kept popping up from his table every time the door opened in hopes of seeing him. When Tadashi finally does walk in the door, Fred’s heart leaps up into his throat--after two weeks of not seeing him, he’d almost forgotten just how handsome he was in person. It was almost enough to keep him from noticing that Tadashi was being followed by a small entourage. Almost.

“Um, hey Tadashi!” Fred says as he approaches his date, trying to keep the confusion and discomfort out of his voice as he realizes that the other man was being accompanied by three other people, all approximately their own age. Had Tadashi not realized that when he’d asked him out that he meant it as a one-on-one date?   
“Fred!” Tadashi gives him a guilty and slightly exasperated look. “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen! My aunt found out about the date just as I was leaving home and she told me that I couldn’t go unless I brought my chaperones…”

“Oh, I see.” Fred tries to keep the disappointment out of his tone--chaperones, really? That was going to make this an incredibly awkward first date. Still, poor Tadashi looked so miserable that he couldn’t find it in his heart to put the blame on him--obviously this wasn’t his idea of a perfect date either.

“Don’t worry!” The tall blonde woman standing behind Tadashi flashes him a cheerful smile. “We won’t be sitting at the same table as you! We’ll be across the restaurant at a different table.”

“But not so far away that we can’t see everything that’s happening,” the muscularly built man next to her adds.

“So keep your hands above the table if you want to make sure that they’re still attached to your arms by the end of the evening,” the short raven haired woman who made up the third member of the trio adds, sounding slightly more threatening than Fred felt was strictly speaking necessary. 

“Ah… Okay?” Fred agrees, starting to feel a bit unnerved. Just at a glance, none of the three looked like they were related to Tadashi, so he doubted they were family members. Exactly what did Tadashi’s family do that required him to have three chaperones? 

Wait, actually make that four chaperones, Fred realizes as he spots a fourth boy making his way to the front of the group. This boy Fred could actually believe was a family member of Tadashi’s--he had almost identical eyes to Tadashi, and while his hair was much less neatly kept it was close enough to make Fred think that they could be related. Actually, they were close enough in appearance and age that maybe, just maybe--

“Are you Hiro?” Fred asks.

“Yeah, I am,” the smaller teen answers, seeming caught off guard enough to have forgotten whatever he’d been about to say. “How did you--?”

“Tadashi’s been talking about you almost non stop!” Fred answers with a grin. “He’s always going on about how amazing his ‘otouto’ is, and considering the fact that you’re only fourteen and already in college, I can’t blame him! That is absolutely incredible! I just barely managed to scrape by with a passing grade in math to actually graduate high school at eighteen, I can’t imagine going to college at your age! And your inventions that he keeps telling me about sound absolutely fantastic--I could never have dreamed up half of that stuff!”

“O-Oh, um.. Thanks?” Hiro appeared slightly embarrassed but not displeased by the praise. If anything, he was grinning slightly as the host comes to lead him and the others to their table. 

“Wasn’t that laying it on a bit thick?” Tadashi whispers playfully in Fred’s ear as they make their way to their own table. 

“I had to make a good impression on your little bro, didn’t I?” Fred answers with a grin.

“I suppose,” Tadashi laughs before adding apologetically, “I truly am sorry for all of this. My aunt means well but she can be more than a little overprotective at times…”

“Trust me, it’s cool,” Fred reassures him, truly meaning it as he pulls the chair out for his date. “As long as I get to spend time with you, that’s all I really care about.” 

“You’re quite the gentleman, aren’t you?” Tadashi beams up at him, sitting down and allowing Fred to push the chair in for him.

“I try,” Fred answers, smiling and taking his seat across from Tadashi, starting to reach for his hand over the table only to become incredibly aware of four pairs of eyes watching him and quickly retracting his hand. Tadashi, however, seeing what he was doing, reaches out and grabs his hand before he can fully pull back, bringing it closer to him and giving him a shy smile of his own. 

“Please, don’t worry about them,” Tadashi tells him quietly. “I promise, they won’t interfere, and they know when to be discreet.”

“Okay,” Fred agrees, doing his best to forget about the fact there were chaperones keeping an eye on them. He thought it would be hard to do, but between Tadashi’s warm smile and queries about what he’d been doing over the past two weeks (as well a million polite but eager questions about his life in general), he finds himself relaxing, and any thought of anything but Tadashi was quickly swept out of his head. This might have been the most unusual date that he’d ever been on, but the person that he was on the date with made it all completely worth it.


	2. Chapter 2

It was three months to the day since Fred’s first real date with Tadashi. He should know, he’d carefully marked the date on his calendar, and, even though he knew it was ridiculously cheesy, he was planning to surprise Tadashi with a special date since it was a their three month anniversary. Tadashi knew that they were going on a date tonight, but he didn’t know all of the surprises that Fred had planned. The plan was for Fred to pick him up after his afternoon class, but since Fred didn’t have any classes of his own today, he was left with a lot of excited and nervous energy that didn’t have anywhere to go. Not knowing what else to do with it, he decides to go for another wander around campus in hopes of burning some of it off and keep himself from going crazy.

He was just resorting to walking a back alleyway behind a couple of the school buildings in hopes of maybe finding something interesting in a part of campus that he hadn’t really explored before when a series of things happened that brought his wanderings to a standstill. The first thing to happen was a strange, loud humming sound suddenly filling the alleway. Second was a pinprick of blue light appearing out of thin air, quickly growing in size until it was almost as large as Fred, if not a bit bigger. And third was Tadashi somehow inexplicably coming running out of the whirling pool of blue light, looking incredibly panicked and muttering something about being late for class. 

If the fact that his boyfriend had just appeared out of what very much looked like a mystical portal of some sort wasn’t startling enough, the fact that Tadashi was dressed like he had just come from a Renaissance Faire was raising some serious alarms in Fred’s mind. He had no idea what to make all of this, and he was just preparing to turn around and just walk away, thinking he’d gotten way too much sun for one day and was starting to hallucinate, when Tadashi, who didn’t seem to be paying as much attention to where he was going as he should have been, crashes right into him.

_ Okay, so either a very solid illusion or I’m not actually imagining this _ , Fred thinks dazedly, for the second time in his life finding himself on the ground with Tadashi on top of him. 

“F-Fred!” Tadashi, who was staring down at him with a look akin to horror on his face. “H-How did you--? Where did you--? W-What are you doing here?!”

“I was going for a walk around campus while I was waiting for our date!” Fred answers before continuing in a more serious tone, “And I think I should be the one asking the questions here! Did you just come out of a  _ portal _ ?”

“...Would you believe me if I told you I was helping Callaghan test out some experimental technology?” Tadashi asks with an incredibly guilty look on his face. 

“I would, but it sounds like you’re lying to me,” Fred answers with a deep frown. “Not to mention which, that doesn’t explain why you’re dressed like you just walked out of a fairytale world!”

Seeing Tadashi cringe at that, Fred realizes that his tone was maybe a bit to accusatory, and he forces himself up into a seated position, Tadashi quickly moving back to allow him the space he needed to properly sit up. 

“Look, Dashi,” Fred says softly, reaching out for his boyfriend’s hand, glad when Tadashi didn’t pull away after initially wincing at the contact. “Maybe we should start over.”

Tadashi just nods in response, not quite meeting his eyes.

“Whatever’s going on, you know you can tell me, right?” Fred tells him, squeezing his hand reassuringly. 

“I-I know… But you could get in a lot of trouble if anyone found out that I told you…” Tadashi answers quietly. 

“It can’t be that bad!” Fred says encouragingly. “I mean, it’s not like you’re family’s running a drug empire or something! ...Right?” 

“No, of course not!” Tadashi cries before sighing and looking down at the ground again. “I-I suppose you were going to have to find out at some point if we kept going on like this… I just wish there was a better way for you to have learned the truth… I swear, I was planning to tell you as soon as I thought you were ready and I got my aunt’s permission!”

“Tadashi, please, just spit it out already!” Fred cries, his impatience getting the better of him. 

“I’m going as fast as I can!” Tadashi tells him pleadingly. “This isn’t exactly easy for me. I-I don’t know what you’ll think of me when you know the truth and I don’t want to lose you…” 

“Dashi, you could never lose me.” Fred feels his impatience momentarily softening as he pulls Tadashi close. “Whatever this is, I promise you that we’ll get through it together, okay?”

“A-All right…” Tadashi relaxes into the embrace before finally pulling away, looking like he had steeled his resolve. “The truth is…”

“Yes?” Fred gently presses.

“The truth is… I-I’m a prince…” 

“...Wait, you’re a  _ what _ ?” 

Of all the things that Fred had expected to come out of Tadashi’s mouth, that had been the last thing on his mind. A  _ prince _ ? Was he being serious? It certainly didn’t look like he was lying. And that might explain why Tadashi had had to have a group of chaperones with him on every date for the first month and a half of their relationship--maybe they weren’t so much chaperones as bodyguards. But if he was telling the truth, what on Earth was a prince doing at a college in the middle of San Fransokyo? 

“I-I’m a prince…” Tadashi repeats. “But that’s probably the easiest part of all of this for you to believe…” 

Fred, who was still wrapping his mind around what Tadashi has already said, definitely wasn’t prepared for that second statement. “There’s  _ more? _ ” How could there be more?!

“There is,” Tadashi agrees, taking a deep breath before saying, “I’m not exactly… From this world.” 

“...Okay, I think you need to back up a little bit, because I’m trying to make sure that I’m getting all of this right. You’re. A  _ prince _ .”

“Yes.” 

“And you’re a prince from  _ another world _ ?” 

“Also yes.” 

“ _ You’re a prince from another world?!” _

“Yes!”

Fred sits in stunned silence before finally managing to get out, “...Well. That might explain a few things.”

“Pardon?” Tadashi blinks in surprise.

“I mean, I always knew there was something a little different about you. And considering all the insane theories I had about your secretive past, this is actually pretty freaking cool!”

“A-Are you trying to say… That you’re alright with this?” Tadashi gapes at him.

“Well… Yeah.” Fred shrugs slightly. “To be honest I’m probably in shock right now so my brain isn’t really processing this and I might start freaking out again in a few minutes here. But on the other hand… I think since I met you I knew that you weren’t exactly normal. I mean, come on, a guy as amazing as you? It kind of makes sense that you’re from another world, I don’t think they make them as awesome as you in this one!”

“F-Fred…” Tadashi’s cheeks were turning the dusty pink color that Fred loved so much, and the fanboy can’t resist the urge to lean in and place a playful peck on one of them. 

“Seriously, Dashi--as crazy as this all sounds, I know that you wouldn’t lie to me about something as serious as this. And if you’re telling me that you’re a prince from another world? Then I’m going to believe you unless there’s solid evidence stating otherwise,” Fred says, taking Tadashi’s hands in his own. 

“Thank you…” Tadashi smiles gratefully up at him before shyly pecking him back. “I don’t know what I did to deserve someone as wonderful as you in my life...” 

“Hey, I could say the same thing about you,” Fred answers with a grin. 

The two sit in contented silence for a minute, just holding hands. Fred would have liked to have enjoyed the moment for longer but unfortunately his inability to sit still for any extended length of time got the better of him and he finds himself getting jittery in spite of his best efforts.

“So, um… Where do we go from here?” he asks. “I mean, now that I know that you’re a prince and everything? It kinda sounds like you don’t want anyone to know that I know, and if that’s the case I totally respect that, I promise I’ll do my best to keep any of your friends or your little bro from finding out that I know!” Wait, did Tadashi’s friends actually know? And were they from whatever world Tadashi was from too? There were so many questions that he wanted to ask, but he didn’t want to ask anything that would make Tadashi uncomfortable or make him regret telling him.

“No,” Tadashi answers after thinking it over for a moment. “At this point I don’t think it makes sense for us to act like you don’t know when you do. Actually… Maybe it’s time for us to take the next step.”

“N-Next step?” Fred repeats, not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

“I think it’s clear that I won’t be making it to class today--even if I hadn’t already been running so late, which is what caused my carelessness in the first place, I doubt I’d be able to focus on whatever the professor was saying after everything that has just happened,” Tadashi answers with a crooked smile before squeezing Fred’s hand and continuing, “So, what would you say to coming and seeing my kingdom? N-Not that it’s my kingdom yet! It’s still under the jurisdiction of my aunt and the council until I come of age to inherit the throne…”

“Tadashi,” Fred laughs, gently pressing a hand to Tadashi’s mouth to stop his nervous rambling. “I would  _ love _ to go see your kingdom!”

“Really?” Tadashi gives him a relieved, if somewhat eager grin.

“Really!” Fred agrees, beaming. “Although I do have one question for you, if that’s okay!”

“Of course, anything! What do you want to know?” 

“It’s just--what is a prince from another world doing at a university in San Fransokyo?”

“I suppose I should have known that you’d ask that eventually,” Tadashi chuckles. “The simple explanation is that it is custom for heirs to the throne to visit another world when they turn eighteen to learn more about other cultures and to gain a greater sense of empathy for the struggles that others face. I chose Earth because of my fondness for one of the liaisons from this world to ours, Professor Callaghan. He was like a father to me after my own passed when I was young. I was fascinated by his stories of this world and the things that he brought back from here to show me. I decided that for my years of training I wanted to study here at the school where he taught and experience this world for myself.” 

Fred was slightly caught off guard to find out that Callaghan was actually in on all of this, but upon further reflection it did make sense considering how close he and Tadashi were. Fred couldn’t imagine that much got past the eagle eyed professor.

“I think the only reason I was actually allowed to come here was because my aunt knew that he’d be here to watch over me. But she still insisted that I take along two guards and my advisor for protection,” Tadashi continues, shaking his head slightly.

“Really? Is she that worried about you being on your own?” Fred asks curiously. 

“Oh no, in our own kingdom and in most worlds that we’re on good terms with she isn’t nearly this… well, overprotective,” Tadashi answers, looking a bit embarrassed. “The truth is… I hope you won’t take this personally but your world is considered one of the most dangerous that we’ve ever encountered. There is a reason most other worlds haven’t made an effort to make contact…”

“You know, I’m actually not at all offended by that, and I’m not even really that surprised,” Fred admits wryly. Considering the things that he saw happening on the news every day? The other worlds, whatever and wherever they were, were probably really smart for keeping their distance.

Tadashi gives him a relieved smile before standing up and offering him his hand to help him up. “Are you ready to go?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be!” Fred answers, grinning as he pulls himself up with Tadashi’s help. An excited flame was bursting to life in his chest--he was actually going to be visiting another world! To be fair he had no idea what this other world was going to be like (he had some ideas based on the way that Tadashi was dressed but he couldn’t know for sure.) Still, he could only imagine that whatever this new world held in store for him it would be amazing, and as long as Tadashi was by his side he didn’t fear any of the dangers that might lie there.

Tadashi pulls a small device out of his pocket--small enough that Fred might have mistaken it for a keychain if he didn’t see Tadashi pressing the small blue button on its side that caused a portal much like the one he’d seen only minutes earlier opening. 

“Whoa…” Fred breathes. Even though he’d already seen one, it was still enough to momentarily take his breath away. 

“Maybe you should hold my hand, just to be safe,” Tadashi says, lightly squeezing Fred’s in his own.

“S-Sounds good.,” Fred agrees squeezing a little tighter himself, his common sense for a moment questioning if it was really safe to step through a portal into an unknown world. Still, he had always trusted his gut more than his common sense and so, taking a deep breath, he follows Tadashi through the glowing blue disk. 

Going through the portal was much less intense than Fred had anticipated--he’d expected something a la  _ Doctor Who _ , being sucked through a wormhole in time and space. But no. If anything, it was a bit anticlimactic. There was just a slightly cool feeling like he was stepping through a gauze curtain, and then there he was, standing in a room that looked like it belonged in a castle from a Disney movie.

“Whoa…” he quietly gasps, eyes wide as he turns to take everything in. 

“I know that this might all seem a bit overly grand...” Tadashi says with an embarrassed looking smile, giving him a moment to take it all in.

“No, trust me, it’s fine!” Fred answers, snapping out of his daze. “This is just majorly cool and I’m trying to wrap my head around it!”

“I’m glad that you approve,” Tadashi chuckles, seeming to relax before holding his hand out to him. “Come with me.”

“Where are we going?” Fred asks eagerly, taking the hand. “The throne room? The banquet hall? Better yet, the royal library? Do you guys have one those?”

“All in good time!” Tadashi chuckles, looking amused but pleased by his reaction. “First I think we should go to my chambers and make sure that you’re… well, properly attired.”

“You mean there’s something wrong with my clothes?” Fred asks, glancing down at his outfit. It didn’t look that different than what he usually wore. Was this Tadashi’s way of telling him that he didn’t like the way he dressed?

“No, there is nothing at all wrong with them!” Tadashi hurries to reassure him. “It’s just that they do stand out a bit and at least until we have a chance to speak with my aunt it might be better for us not to have a lot of attention drawn to you.”

“Oh! I completely  _ comprende _ !” Fred breathes out a sigh of relief. “I guess I can’t exactly go walking around here dressed like this any more than you could go walking around at SFIT dressed in what you’re wearing.”

“Yes, exactly.” Tadashi shakes his head. “I still cannot believe that I didn’t notice what I had on until I had already left the portal! Without you being there to stop me, I might have gotten all the way to class without realizing it. I woke up much later than I should have, and I just dressed in the first things that I could find in my wardrobe without even thinking about the fact that I needed to make sure I was dressed appropriately for your world. I suppose at least I was wearing something fairly benign...” 

“Uh, that’s ‘benign’ for you?” Fred asks. 

“This is usually how I dress when I’m not having to attend to matters of state,” Tadashi answers, glancing down at the loose white shirt and brown leggings that he had on. “I thought that it was fairly casual?”

“Damn, if this your casual, I cannot wait to see how you look dressed up,” Fred says with a grin. 

“F-Fred…” Tadashi ducks his head, looking embarrassed but pleased. 

“So, even princes like to be comfortable, huh?” Fred asks, playfully wrapping his arms around Tadashi’s waist. 

Tadashi winces slightly at his use of the word. “Fred, I hope that you finding out that I’m a prince doesn’t change how you see me… I’m still the same man that you’ve always known, just with--well, with a title that would sometimes be easier to forget.” 

“Hey.” Fred pulls him a bit closer, stroking his cheek with the back of his hand. “I love you. And no title or other-worldliness is going to change that. I’m just excited to get to learn more about this part of you that I didn’t know about before!”

“You are entirely too kind to me,” Tadashi says softly, but he nuzzles into the touch all the same, a soft smile gracing his lips. 

“I’m only telling you the truth,” Fred answers, grinning and kissing his boyfriend. 

Tadashi lets out a blissful sigh before blushing yet again and saying softly, “As much as I would love to stay here, perhaps we should move this to somewhere a little more private? Otherwise the whole castle is going to be gossiping about the handsome foreigner having an intimate rendezvous with the crown prince in a dark hallway. My whole family might just die of shame from the scandal.”

His playful grin is enough to let Fred know that he isn’t being serious, so the other man answers teasingly back, “I think I could learn to live with that kind of gossip. Although I do want to get to know your family, so maybe it would be better to avoid anything that would cause them to die.” 

“The royal family thanks you,” Tadashi chuckles before lightly tugging on his hand. “Now come on, let’s go get you properly garbed so that you can officially meet my family.”

“Right behind you,” Fred answers, ready to follow Tadashi into whatever adventure lay ahead.


	3. Chapter 3

Together the two make their way down the hallway, Tadashi keeping the pace slow enough so that Fred could take everything in. As much as the palace looked like something that belonged in one of the Disney Parks, Fred couldn’t help but wonder what Tadashi’s room was going to look like. What he found, when Tadashi finally opened a sturdy oak door, was a surprising mix of the fancifull with the modern. The velvet draped canopy bed and dark furniture carved with fairies and elves were almost strangely offset by the desk where a sleek silver laptop sat, surrounded by the tools and technology used by the engineering student to work on his latest inventions and projects. Fred had no idea if there was even wifi here (he filed that away among the million other questions that he had) but he supposed that it made sense that Tadashi would need to be able to use a computer to do his homework for his classes. Another quick glance around the room made Fred realize that there was also electrical lighting in use, so maybe this kingdom wasn’t as medieval as he’d originally thought (and thank goodness if that meant they had modern amenities like indoor plumbing!)

“What do you think?” Tadashi asks, breaking him out of his thoughts. “It isn’t too much?”

“No, it looks great!” Fred reassures him before adding with a slight smirk, “And trust me, Dashi, after seeing my room at home you should know that any room would look tame by comparison!”

“That is true,” Tadashi admits with a relieved looking smile. 

“Wow, you’re definitely as much of a reader as me!” Fred grins as he notices Tadashi’s bulging bookcase. Some of the titles looked familiar, but most of the others he had never seen before, and he found himself looking longingly at them, wondering what stories they might hold.

“Please, feel free to take a look through and borrow whatever you want,” Tadashi tells him, lightly pecking his cheek. “It will only take me a moment to find some clothes for you to change into before I take you to meet my aunt.” 

“Thank you!” Fred beams at him, happily pecking him back before eagerly hurrying over to the bookcase, thrilled at the idea that he had suddenly had a whole other world’s worth of books to read. 

He was just starting to read the summaries of a few particularly promising ones when the door to an adjoining chamber opens to reveal a tall, willowy woman with chestnut hair holding a broom and followed by a little girl with springy curls of the same color .

“Oh, Prince Tadashi!” The woman pauses when she sees Tadashi, dropping into a curtsy. “I hadn’t realized that you would be returning so soon!”

“It’s perfectly fine, Hannah!” Tadashi hurries to reassure her, smiling as he does so. “My plans changed unexpectedly, but you know that I never mind having the pleasure of seeing your smiling face. I should have known that you had been here today, my room is never this clean when I’m left to my own devices!”

“You are too kind, your highness!” Hannah smiles bashfully at him.

“And how is my favorite little girl in the whole kingdom?” Tadashi drops down to one knee and scoops the child next to her up into his arms, spinning her around as he stands back up. 

“Prince Dashi!” The little girl laughs and beams at him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug, before protesting, “I’m not so little anymore! I grew a whole inch this week!”

“That’s wonderful, Harriet!” Tadashi grins down at her, his eyes sparkling. “You’ll be as tall as your mother in no time!”

“And I lost a tooth!” Harriet adds, opening her mouth wide to show him the new gap in her smile.

“Did you put it under the pillow for the tooth fairy?” Tadashi asks her.

“Mm! She left me earrings! Mama said that means I’m almost old enough to get my first ear piercings!” Harriet answers eagerly. 

“Really! My goodness, you certainly are getting grown up!” Tadashi tells her with a surprisingly misty eyed expression. 

Fred had to wonder what the significance of ear piercing was--sure some parents waited until their kids were older to let them pierce their ears, but was it such a big deal here?--until he glanced at the girl’s mother and realized that her ears were covered with small studs and hoops, all of them intricately carved out of wood or twisted from metal wire. He might have thought it was just a punk statement until he saw that Hannah was looking a bit teary eyed herself and he realized that there was a lot more to this culturally than it did back in his world. Maybe it was a coming of age ceremony of some sort?

It was while trying to puzzle this out that he suddenly realized something of great importance that he had missed before--namely that both Hannah and Harriet had pointed ears. 

If the fact that he was in the presence of elves or fae or people not entirely human was a shock to him, Harriet and Hannah both looked as equally caught off guard to see him when his gasp draws his attention. 

“Oh, Prince Tadashi, I didn’t realize that you had company or we wouldn’t have kept you!” Hannah cries.

“No, not at all!” Tadashi reassures her. “Actually, I’m quite glad that you’re both here so that I can introduce you! Fred, this is Hannah, one of the maids who works here in the palace, and her daughter, Harriet.”

“P-Pleased to meet you,” Fred manages to get out, not sure if he was supposed to bow or something and so settling on an awkward sort of bob.

“And Hannah, Harriet, this is Fred, my--well, my boyfriend,” Tadashi says, looking a bit embarrassed but proud as he says it.

“Oh! So this is the young lad I’ve been hearing so much about!” Hannah beams at Fred. “Goodness, you’re quite as handsome as the prince said--and that’s saying something, you should hear the way that he moons on about you!”

“Does he now?” Fred grins mischievously at Tadashi. 

“Hannah…” Tadashi ducks his head, his cheeks flushed bright red. 

“All right, all right, I’ll hold my tongue,” Hannah chuckles. “But truly, it is a pleasure to finally meet you--we’ve all been wondering how long it would be until he finally brought you to visit! Unless this is a more permanent sort of arrangement?” 

“W-We haven’t quite gotten far enough in our relationship to have discussed that yet,” Tadashi answers, looking, if possible, even more embarrassed. 

“I see.” Hannah clucks her tongue playfully. “Well, I’ll leave you two to it, then. Harriet, come, we mustn't disturb the prince while he has a visitor.”

“Aww…” Harriet frowns sadly before slowly nodding her head. 

“You’ll come and play with me soon, right?” she asks Tadashi hopefully.

“I promise, on my honor,” Tadashi reassures her, hugging her tightly and letting her kiss him on the cheek before gently setting her down on the floor so that she could follow her mother out into the hallway. 

“Wow…” Fred quietly gasps when they leave.

“I apologize if Hannah said anything that made you uncomfortable!” Tadashi says quickly. “I promise, she was only speaking in jest!”

“What? No, I wasn’t talking about that!” Fred answers, realizing a little too late that maybe he was passing up an opportunity to talk about what Hannah had meant by “a more permanent arrangement” but soldiering on with his current train of thought nonetheless. “I just mean that you are  _ great _ with kids! Like, seriously, that was amazing!”

“O-Oh! T-Thank you…” Tadashi gives him a shy smile. “My aunt says that it comes naturally to me, or maybe it came from the fact that I insisted on taking care of Hiro so much on my own when we were small. But the truth is that I just love children. They have such large imaginations, and they’re so full of life and happiness--it makes it so enjoyable to spend time with them, don’t you think?”

“I guess so--I never had any siblings or even younger cousins so I don’t really have any experience in that field, but I’ll take your word for it!” Fred answers before saying tentatively, “Um, is it okay to ask something that might sound totally ignorant and hopefully won’t come out as offensive?” 

“Of course,” Tadashi answers with a nod. “I know there are probably quite a few questions that you have about this world, and I am more than willing to answer any and all of them for you that I can.”

“I appreciate that, and I’ll probably take you up on that later,” Fred tells him. “But right now I mainly just have the one. Hannah and Harriet… They’re not… Human, are they?”

“What? Oh!” Tadashi’s eyes go wide with understanding. “Of course! I apologize, I keep forgetting that you come from a world where you don’t have-- To answer your question, yes, both of them are elves. We have quite a lot of species living together in this kingdom, and very happily for the most part, I am glad to say. We’ve always done our best to make all feel welcome and to treat anyone who enters our borders with equality.”

“That is totally awesome!” Fred beams at him. “What all species do you have living here, if it’s okay to ask?” 

“I’ve almost lost count myself, although we could check the last census later on today if you want to,” Tadashi chuckles. “Some of the largest populations we have here are the elves, dwarves, and fae, but there are also a good number of sprites, nymphs, and I believe even a pod mers off the coast.” 

“Wow… That is so cool!” Fred happily squeaks.

“I’m glad that you’re so accepting,” Tadashi says with a warm smile which fades slightly as he continues, “Many places… Are not as kind to non-human species. There is a reason our kingdom has become a haven to so many who were forced out or wanted better opportunities for their families.”

“I-I had no idea…” Fred whispers--apparently all worlds had their share of intolerance. 

“Many kingdoms are constantly telling us that they don’t see how we have room enough for all who want to come here. But who are we to turn away those who are suffering and in need? We may be a bit crowded, but the people are happy and work together for the common good of all. And maybe if some of the other kingdoms would so readily open their gates, there would not be a need for so many to come here,” Tadashi says, a passionate glint in his eye that momentarily took Fred’s breath away. In that moment, he could clearly see Tadashi as the heir apparent to the throne, and there was not a doubt in his mind that he was going to make an amazing king. 

“I apologize, I shouldn’t be troubling you with talk of matters that don’t pertain to you,” Tadashi says, mistaking his silence for boredom or discomfort.

“What? No way!” Fred cries. “Sorry, I just--the way you were talking, it was so inspiring! I can totally see why everyone here loves you so much!”

“I wouldn’t say that all think favorably of me…” Tadashi mumbles, embarrassed yet again. 

“Well anyone who doesn’t must be out of their mind, because you are completely amazing!” Fred states firmly, lovingly kissing his cheek.

“I appreciate that, love.” Tadashi gently kisses him back before pulling away and returning to the wardrobe. “I believe I’ve found some clothes that will hopefully fit you--I apologize in advance if they don’t.” 

“Hey, it’s cool! You know that I like my clothes loose anyways!” Fred reassures him. 

“All right.” Tadashi smiles as he hands him a small bundle of clothing. “The bathroom is right through that door Hannah came through, you can change in there.” 

“Thank you!” Fred grins at him before heading into the bathroom to change. He was quite relieved to find that it looked much like the bathrooms back home, if a bit nicer. Thank goodness he didn’t have to figure out a whole different plumbing system, he didn’t think he would have done very well if he’d been forced to use a chamber pot should the need arise.

It didn’t take long at all to change. Despite Tadashi’s worries, the clothes fit fine. The pants were the right length and just had to be belted in a bit, and as far as he could tell the shirt was supposed to be pretty loose anyways. Maybe the clothes would have felt a little odd if Fred wasn’t a regular attender of Ren Faires, but the garb that he wore to the local faire every year was pretty similar to this (although not near as nice of quality) so he didn’t feel that strange at all as he walked out of the bathroom to show Tadashi what he looked like.

“Wow…” Tadashi, who had been sitting on the end of his bed waiting for him, stands up, eyes widening as he looks him over. 

“You like?” Fred asks with a grin, striking a ridiculous pose. 

“The clothes of this kingdom looks amazing on you,” Tadashi answers with an appreciative grin, coming over to wrap his arms around his waist. “Only…”

“Only?” Fred repeats, not sure that he liked the sound of that.

“I’m so sorry, but I don’t think that you’ll be able to fully avoid attention without taking off your hat…” Tadashi admits. 

“Oh…” Fred never went anywhere without his hat. Most of the time he didn’t even realize that he was wearing it, it was as much a part of his head as his hair. Still, he supposed that he could go without it for a little bit. Slowly and a hint reluctantly, he pulls it off and lays it down on the dresser next to him. 

He was reaching up to try to tame whatever hat hair he probably had when Tadashi whispers in his ear, “Please, allow me.” 

Fred wasn’t about to argue with that, and he actually quite enjoyed having his boyfriend gently finger combing his hair. He was a bit caught off guard when Tadashi proceeds to tie his hair back into a short ponytail, but he supposed if Tadashi thought that it would help him look like he belonged here it wasn’t so bad. And when Tadashi proceeds to press a quick but still amazing kiss to the side of his neck after finishing tying off the ponytail, he started thinking that maybe having his neck so exposed wasn’t such a bad thing after all. 

“I-I’m sorry,” Tadashi apologizes as he pulls away, looking embarrassed and shocked by his own actions. “I-I don’t know what came over me…”

“Are you kidding me? That was great!” Fred answers, beaming at him. “You have absolutely nothing to apologize for!”

“T-Thank you…” Tadashi offers him a shy smile. “I have been wanting to try that for quite some time…” 

“I’m glad you finally did!” Fred answers, hoping that that meant he was planning to do it again. 

But instead of giving him another heart-stopping kiss, Tadashi gently turns Fred towards a mirror so that he could see himself. “What do you think?” 

“I think I’m actually rocking this ponytail,” Fred laughs. “You may have started something, Dashi!”

“I certainly wouldn’t mind that,” Tadashi responds, looking pleased, before adding, “You look as handsome as any prince.”

“You’re just saying that…” Fred says bashfully--the truth was he’d never really believed himself to be that good looking, he was too awkward and gangly. He’d always assumed that Tadashi was more into him for his personality than for his looks.

“I am most definitely not!” Tadashi answers. “You are easily the most handsome man in all the kingdoms!” 

“Y-You really think so?” Fred asks sheepishly. 

“I would never lie to you about how I feel about you,” Tadashi tells him firmly, taking his hands in his own. 

“I’m glad to hear that.” Fred gives him a grateful smile, gently squeezing his hands in his own, before asking, “So, what do you think, am I ready to meet your aunt?”

“Yes, I think so,” Tadashi answers, smiling back at him. “Do you feel ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Fred chuckles nervously. “I just hope that she doesn’t think that I’m not worthy of you or something…”

“She will think nothing of the sort, so don’t even entertain that idea for one moment!” Tadashi lightly scolds him.

“All right, all right!” Fred agrees, still not feeling fully confident but deciding to trust his boyfriend’s judgment. “Let’s go do this!”

“Let’s.” Tadashi takes him by the hand again and, opening the door to his room, leads Fred out into the hallway. 

“So, any idea where we’re going to find your aunt?” Fred asks as the make their way down the corridor in the opposite direction from the one they’d came--if nothing else, he told himself, at least he’d get to see more of the castle before facing what might be his impending doom. 

“I suppose we can try her chambers first,” Tadashi answers, not seeming to notice his silent distress. “If she’s not there, we can always ask one of the servants, they’re likely to know where she is.” 

“Sounds good,” Fred agrees. He hoped that the walk to wherever Tadashi’s aunts chambers were would be a long one to give him more time to prepare, but, as it turned out, it was a surprisingly short distance before they came to a stop in front of another oak doorway. 

“Aunt Cass?” Tadashi knocks firmly on the door, “Aunt Cass, may I come in?”

For one hopeful moment, Fred thought that the lack of response meant that she might not be in. But then a voice rings out from the other side of the door, “Tadashi? Tadashi, is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me, Aunt Cass,” Tadashi answers. 

“Oh, please, come in dear! I was actually just about to come find you, there’s something that I needed to talk to you about,” the voice responds. 

“Come on.” Tadashi gives Fred an encouraging smile. “She’s going to be so happy to finally have the chance to meet you.”

And then, before Fred can even try to protest or come up with some excuse to postpone the meeting, Tadashi turns the knob on the door and pushes it open.


	4. Chapter 4

The inside of this chamber was a lot closer to how Fred had imagined a royal’s room would look--everything was richly but tastefully decorate in muted tones. Sitting at an ebony dressing table was a petite woman with chestnut brown hair, her eyes similar in shape to Tadashi’s but green as opposed to brown. Fred was struck by how short she was as she stood up to greet them--she was as short if not shorter than Hiro--but something about the flash in her eyes as they settle on him gives him the impression the she wasn’t someone to take lightly.

“Tadashi, dear, who is this?” she asks as she slowly makes her way towards them.

Fred felt slightly intimidated, knowing just how much rode on her approval of him, but Tadashi gently squeezes his hand before answering firmly, “Aunt Cass, I would like you to meet my boyfriend, Fred.”

For a moment Fred holds his breath as he waits for her response, fully prepared to find himself being thrown in the dungeons for being a trespasser in this world without her approval. But after a long moment in which Aunt Cass studies him seriously, a sudden smile crosses the petite woman’s face and Fred feels himself relaxing slightly. 

“Well, I was wondering how long it would be before Tadashi finally brought you here,” she says, stepping forward and wrapping Fred in an unexpected bear hug. “It’s so wonderful to finally meet you!”

“T-Thank you?” Fred barely manages to squeak out, the tight embrace knocking the wind out of him--wow, she was stronger than she looked!

“Oh, let me get a good look at you!” Aunt Cass finally lets go of him, standing back to look him over. “Goodness, Tadashi certainly wasn’t exaggerating about how handsome you are--and believe me, he’s described you more times than I can count!”

“He talks about me that much?” Fred asks, feeling embarrassed but flattered.

“Yes he has,” Aunt Cass warmly chuckles. “And not just about your looks. If half of what he’s told me is to be believed you’re quite the kind, caring young gentleman, exactly the type of person I’d hoped Tadashi would eventually find.”

“And you’re not mad that I’m here without Tadashi getting permission?” Fred asks hopefully.

“Not at all. I know my nephew, and there’s nothing that will stop him when he gets an idea in his head,” Aunt Cass chuckles. “I’m almost surprised that it took him this long to finally bring you home for a visit.”

“I wanted to honor your wishes and wait, but Fred sort of found out the truth by accident this morning,” Tadashi admits, smiling at how well things were going. “And I decided it was best to bring him here to see for himself so that he wouldn’t think I hadn’t gone round the bend.”

“That is completely understandable, and you are forgiven,” Aunt Cass tells him with a warm smile before turning back towards Fred. “I only wish that you’d come at a more opportune time. Unfortunately a matter of state has come up which unfortunately will be as unpleasant for you as it is for the rest of us.”

“A matter of state that involves me?” Fred asks in surprise--how could that be possible when he’d only been here less than an hour?

“It involves you indirectly,” Aunt Cass explains. “Mostly it concerns my nephew.” She turns to Tadashi and continues. “The kingdom of Luclandia is sending yet another dignitary for a visit--the daughter of a senator, Leia Organa.” 

“Not again!” Tadashi, for the first time in Fred’s memory, looked anything but princely--if anything, he looked incredibly put out, if not disgusted by what his aunt had just told him. 

“Um, are you guys not on good terms with this kingdom?” Fred asks, trying to figure out what the problem was.

“We’re on excellent terms with them,” Tadashi sighs. “The problem is that they, like many, many other kingdoms, keep sending young ladies of high birth to our kingdom for extended stays.” 

“Supposedly they come to help build the bonds between our kingdoms,” Aunt Cass continues for him. “But we quickly learned that by ‘bond’ they mean marriage. Tadashi is the heir to the throne, and until recently he had given no indication of having romantic connections with anyone, and so the other kingdoms decided to try to ‘help’ matters along.”

“Helping meaning helping themselves,” Tadashi says bitterly, a dark look flashing in his eyes.

“I can see how that would be really annoying,” Fred says, fully understanding why Tadashi wouldn’t be happy about trying to be forced into a relationship. “But--you’re not exactly single right now, shouldn’t that solve the problem? U-Unless you don’t want people to know about us…” It was possible that Tadashi, as a prince, might have to be careful about letting other kingdoms know that he was dating a guy depending on how homophobic the other kingdoms were. And there was always the possibility that Tadashi was secretly ashamed of him, despite all of the good things he’d apparently told his family about him…

“Fred, love, I would gladly let every known world know that I am completely devoted to you,” Tadashi says fiercely, catching Fred’s hands in his own and quickly quashing his fears. 

“But unfortunately it doesn’t matter to the other kingdoms,” Tadashi sighs as he lets go of Fred’s hands. “Unless we were officially betrothed, they wouldn’t consider our relationship legally binding and thus would feel they still had the right to send as many eligible ladies as they could find here.”

“Oh…”

“Which is why they are sending the senator’s daughter here,” Aunt Cass continues, her lips pursed with disapproval. 

“Leia is one of my dearest friends, so I’ll be glad to see her, but neither of us are romantically inclined towards the other in the slightest,” Tadashi tells Fred, who was starting to feel a little lost in all this talk of politics. “Her family understands this, but no doubt there was pressure being put on them to send her here as a potential partner for me. I just wish there was some way to make the other kingdoms officially recognize that there is no one I intend to have as a romantic partner except for you.”

“Perhaps…” Aunt Cass says slowly, frowning in concentration before shaking her head. “But no--this is Fred’s first visit here, I’d hate to drag him into this mess.”

“What?” Fred asks, eager to finally be able to be of use in this conversation and, quite possibly, to Tadashi. “What is it? If there’s something I can do to get all these politicians off of Dashi’s back, I’m more than happy to help!”

“That is incredibly sweet of you, Fred dear, but I really don’t think--”

“Please,” Fred says seriously. “Whatever it is, I’ll do it--I just want to keep Tadashi safe and happy and if there’s something I can do to make sure that’s possible, then I don’t care what it takes.”

“Fred…” Tadashi seems to be grinning in spite of himself as he tenderly kisses Fred’s cheek.

An approving smile crosses Aunt Cass’ face. “Well. I can certainly see why Tadashi cares about you so much when you obviously care about him just as much,” she says. “All right. There is one possible option, but Tadashi has to agree to it as well.”

“I’m open to suggestions,” Tadashi answers, taking Fred’s hands in his own.

“Since the only way that the other kingdoms will stop sending possible romantic partners for Tadashi is for Tadashi to be in a relationship that is recognized as official on a political level,” Aunt Cass says slowly, “tomorrow night, during the banquet to welcome Princess Leia here, Tadashi could… Well, he could announce that the two of you are betrothed.”

“You can’t be serious!” Tadashi cries, at the exact same time that Fred answers with a small shrug, “Okay by me.” 

“...You’d actually be okay with this?” Tadashi asks, looking over at Fred in shock. 

“I don’t see why not,” Fred answers. “It’s not like we officially have to be engaged unless you want to be. If saying we’re betrothed gets them off of your back, then I’m totally down with it!”

“I don’t think you quite understand--an official announcement of a betrothal is.... Well, a quite serious matter,” Tadashi answers uncertainly. “To break that betrothal would have serious ramifications…”

“What kind of ramifications?” 

“There would be quite a lot of scandal on the part of whoever breaks the betrothal--their kingdom would be shamed and lose honor with all the other worlds!”

“And you think that that would affect me if I’m the one who broke it off? I don’t have a kingdom, and from what you told me everyone thinks my world is totally screwed up anyways, which I can’t blame them for thinking,” Fred points out with a wry smile. “So as long as no one’s going to try to invade San Fransokyo, I’m not too worried. And even if you were the one to break it off, I give you complete and total permission to tell everyone that it was me who did it if it will protect your kingdom.”

“Y-You would do that for me?” Tadashi asks in disbelief.

“Absolutely,” Fred answers firmly, wrapping his arms around Tadashi’s waist as he adds, “And besides, who’s saying that I’d want to break up with you in the first place?”

“As much as I appreciate that, we haven’t known each other for very long,” Tadashi responds carefully. “I’d hate for us to rush into something so permanent until we’ve gotten to know each other better…”

“I can definitely see your point,” Fred agrees. “But just because we’re technically betrothed doesn’t mean that anything has to change between us--at least not until we’re ready for that. I mean, we don’t have to get married immediately, right?”

“Well, no, we don’t,” Tadashi concedes. “I think I’d be allowed to finish my time of learning in your world before we’d be expected to get married.”

“It would actually be considered proper to wait, I believe,” Aunt Cass agrees.

“See? Perfect!” Fred grins. “That still gives us two whole years--that’s plenty of time! And if we need longer, well, we’ll deal with that when we get to that point.”

“...You’re really okay with this, aren’t you?” Tadashi asks, staring at Fred in slight wonder.

“Yep!” Fred agrees, beaming and pecking Tadashi’s lips. 

“You are incredible, you know that?” Tadashi asks, a smile spreading across his face as he gently kisses him back.

“I certainly won’t stop you from saying it!” Fred laughs.

“This only leaves two more matters to be dealt with,” Aunt Cass says, breaking into the moment, an ill concealed grin twitching at the corners of her mouth. “First, in order for this to go over as smoothly as possible, it would be preferable if Fred had a title of some sort.”

“We don’t exactly have titles in the country I live in,” Fred admits. “Not unless I ran for office, and I’m too young to run for most positions even if I had any interest in politics. I mean, my dad owns a big company that has branches all over the world but I don’t know if that counts for anything here...”

“I think we can work with that,” Tadashi says slowly. “If anyone asks, we can say your father owns a large trading charter and this partnership will be beneficial for trade between our worlds. Not that that is at all the reason for us being together!” he hurries to reassure Fred. “But many politicians think more with their wallets than their hearts and need to see a ‘reason’ for a match to be made.”

“Hey, I’m down with whatever you need to say to make this work,” Fred reassures him.

“I believe that should be enough to silence most complaints, especially as so few kingdoms actually have communication, let alone trade, with Earth,” Aunt Cass agrees, looking pleased. “The relationship will be considered uniquely beneficial for both parties, which should make it be considered as important as a betrothal to a noble from most other worlds.” 

Fred nods, wishing that there wasn’t so much talk of how politically beneficial his relationship with Tadashi had to be in order for it to be considered valid but trying to remind himself that most of this was just a sham to make things easier for Tadashi--Tadashi obviously didn’t like this any more than he did. Besides which, he realizes, he was dating a prince--politics were going to be an inevitable part of his life, like it or not, for as long as he was with Tadashi. It wasn’t the most pleasant thought, but was he willing to put up with that for as long as it meant he could be with the man he was totally in love with? Without a doubt.

“Now, on to the second thing that needs to be taken care of, which will hopefully be of a slightly more pleasant nature,” Aunt Cass says, once again interrupting his train of thought. “Given the nature of tomorrow night’s dinner, both to welcome our guest and to make your announcement, Tadashi dear, I believe it might be good for Fred to be dressed--well, as befitting the prince’s betrothed.”

“Oh, of course!” Tadashi agrees, looking relieved for the more casual turn that the conversation had taken. 

“I would recommend the royal tailor, but as this is a matter that requires some urgency--”

“Aiko,” Tadashi says with a nod before turning to Fred and clarifying, “To you--”

“Honey Lemon,” Fred finishes for him, already knowing what he was going to say. Despite the fact that he had a horrible memory when it came to names, necessitating his habit of giving most people nicknames based on their recognizable traits or memorable moments he had shared with them, he did make a point of learning the names of people who were close to him, which included Tadashi’s friends. It took a moment for the the full weight of Tadashi’s words to settle on him, though, and his eyes go wide as he realizes that his earlier suspicions confirmed. “Wait--Oh my gosh! Honey Lemon and Gogo and Wasabi-- They’re all…?”

“Yes, they’re all from here as well,” Tadashi agrees with a soft chuckle. “David--Wasabi--is my advisor, Gogo is my guard, and Honey Lemon is… Well, she’s a bit young to be a fairy godmother yet so we’ve compromised on fairy godsister.” 

“Holy shi--shoot!” Fred just barely manages to catch himself, realizing that it probably wasn’t considered proper to curse in front of Tadashi's aunt, but who could blame him when he’d just found out that three more of his friends--no, wait, four counting Hiro, who was Tadashi’s brother and by that same line of thinking a prince of this kingdom as well--were also from this world? And the fact that Honey Lemon was apparently fairy as well? How much crazier and more awesome could this day get?

“I’m sorry, I know this is probably quite a lot for you to take in all at once,” Tadashi says apologetically, misinterpreting Fred’s stunned silence for something of a negative nature.

“What? Oh, no, don’t apologize!” Fred hurries to reassure him. “Trust me, I don’t think anything can really surprise me much more at this point,” he adds when Tadashi doesn’t seem to fully believe him.

“I think your friends and your brother should all be returning soon,” Aunt Cass tells Tadashi a bit pointedly. “Perhaps you and Fred should go to meet them? I do have quite a few preparations to make before the arrival of Princess Leia tomorrow.”

“Oh, of course,” Tadashi agrees, taking the hint. He lightly kisses her on the cheek before going to open the door.

“It was very nice to meet you, Fred,” Aunt Cass says, squeezing Fred’s hands in her own. “I hope that I’ll be seeing more of you around here in the near future.”

“Count on it,” Fred answers with a grin before following Tadashi out the door. 

Once they’re safely down the passageway a bit, Tadashi turns to him and asks in a serious, if slightly concerned voice, “You can tell me truthfully if any of this is becoming too much for you. I would completely understand if you wanted to leave now and never come back.”

“Are you kidding me?” Fred shakes his head. “No way! This is totally awesome!”

“Really?”

“Really really,” Fred answers, stopping to wrap his arms around his boyfriend and press their foreheads together. “You’re not going to get rid of me that easily, Tadashi Hamada. It’s going to take a lot more than a magical kingdom and the politics of the known multiverse to scare me away!”

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” Tadashi says, a genuine smile crossing his face, and Fred can feel him finally relaxing slightly into the embrace. 

“I could say the same thing about you,” Fred answers tenderly, lightly pecking his lips. 

Tadashi blushes bright pink, but he pecks Fred back all the same. 

Fred was just wondering what the chances were of finding an abandoned chamber or getting back to Tadashi’s room for a little bit of privacy--and maybe something a bit more--when he suddenly hears a familiar and clearly disbelieving voice squawking out, “D-Dashi? W-What is Fred doing here?!”

“I think we’ve been found out,” Tadashi mumbles, pecking Fred playfully on the lips once more before turning to address his little brother and group of friends, all of whom, Fred couldn’t help but notice, now all looked like they were in a historical reenactment as well. Clearly like Tadashi they all dressed in the garb of this world when they weren’t SFIT, but Fred also realized with a hint of surprise and maybe more than a little excitement that, aside from Hiro, none of them appeared exactly human. Honey Lemon’s iridescent wings were a clear giveaway, and, not carefully covered as they usually were with a headband, Wasabi’s pointed ears (which were as heavily adorned with earrings as Hannah’s had been) were giving a pretty clear impression of what exactly the tall, well built man was. Gogo wasn’t as easy to identify, but suddenly her height--or lack thereof--took on a whole new meaning--dwarvish, possibly? 

Unable to contain his excitement, Fred finds himself saying aloud in an awed voice, “This. Is. Awesome!”


	5. Chapter 5

“What is he  _ doing  _ here?” Hiro repeats, more emphatically this time, directing the words to his elder brother.

At first Fred was afraid that Hiro was angry that he’d found about their secret world and was here in the castle, but then the teen continues, “Dashi, Aunt Cass is going to kill him if she finds him here! We have to get him out of here before she sees him!”

Oh, so Hiro was mostly just concerned for his safety--that was pretty nice of him, actually!

“Hiro, it’s okay,” Tadashi says, gently squeezing Fred’s hand. “Aunt Cass knows, and she’s okay with it.”

“S-She is?” Hiro blinks in surprise. “Seriously?”

“Yes,” Tadashi confirms. “I brought Fred to see her almost as soon as we arrived, and she said she’d actually been expecting this for some time and gave us her blessing.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Hiro sighs. “Still, if you were planning to bring Fred here today you could have told me! I wanted to be here for that!”

“My apologies, I would never have wanted to deprive you of that,” Tadashi answers with a wry smile. “I wasn’t actually planning to bring Fred here today. It just… happened.”

“He caught you coming through the portal, didn’t you?” Hiro smirks at him.

“Yes, he caught me coming through the portal.”

“Well, as much as I hate that I missed all of that, I’m glad that we’re not having to keep this all a secret anymore,” Hiro turns to Fred. “So, how’re you holding up? This crazy enough for you yet?”

“I’m actually doing pretty okay,” Fred laughs. “I guess deep down some part of me knew--I mean,Tadashi is way too amazing to have come from plain old Earth.” 

“That’s fair.” Hiro smiles approvingly before glancing Fred over and smirking again. “Nice outfit--you thinking of going native?”

“I had him wear some of my clothes so he wouldn’t draw unneeded attention,” Tadashi explains. “Just because Aunt Cass is okay with this doesn’t mean that we need the entire castle to know.”

“Uh, Dashi? I don’t think it’s going to be easy to keep the fact that your boyfriend is here a secret--you know how quickly gossip spreads,” Hiro points out.

“Well, I suppose everyone is going to know come tomorrow night--up to and including most of the known kingdoms.”

“...What do you mean by that?” Hiro asks, his brow furrowing.

“I discussed it with Aunt Cass, and she agreed,” Tadashi answers, rubbing the back of his neck and looking slightly flustered, “tomorrow night I am going to officially announce Fred as my betrothed.”

Hiro gapes up at him, and Fred could see the shocked looks on the faces of the others. Hoo boy, maybe they weren’t as okay with him and Tadashi being together as he’d originally thought.   
“Y-You’re engaged?” Hiro finally manages to stammer out, his eyes flashing. “And you didn’t think to tell  _ me _ about this?!”

“Whoa whoa whoa!” Fred cries, trying to salvage the situation. “We’re not actually engaged! We’re just saying that we’re engaged to keep Dashi from having to deal with having more princesses being sent here to try to marry him!”

“Is that true?” Hiro turns back to Tadashi, still looking suspicious. 

“It is,” Tadashi confirms. “The idea was actually Aunt Cass’.”

“I guess that’s not as bad… But why now? And what’s the rush to do this by tomorrow?” Hiro asks, a bit of relief showing on his face but still not seeming fully satisfied.

“Because Luclandia is sending another princess here and she’s arriving tomorrow,” Tadashi answers. “And while such visits were an inconvenience in the past, I don’t feel comfortable with this sort of charade going on when I’m romantically involved with and in love with someone else.”

“I… Guess that makes sense,” Hiro slowly agrees. “That doesn’t mean that I like it, but I get why you’re doing it.”

“Thank you. That means the world to me.” Tadashi smiles in relief before wrapping his arms around Hiro in a hug.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, get off of me!” Hiro bats him away but a smile was making its way onto his face in spite of himself. 

“So, who’s the snobby princess that they’re sending this time?” he asks when Tadashi finally stops trying to hug him. 

“Leia,” Tadashi answers. 

“Leia? That’s actually not so bad.” Hiro hums thoughtfully. “But doesn’t she already have that smuggler boyfriend…?”

“I know about that, and you know about that, but no one else is allowed to know about that,” Tadashi quickly reminds him. “She told us that in confidence.”

“All right, fine, fine!” Hiro puts his hands up in surrender. “I’ll play along. Still… How are we going to do this announcement of your ‘engagement’?”

“Aunt Cass and I were thinking the big welcoming dinner for Leia tomorrow night would be the perfect time,” Tadashi answers before turning to Honey Lemon. “And actually, we were wondering if maybe you could help us make sure that Fred is properly attired for the occasion?”

“Ooh, of course!” Honey Lemon beams, looking glad to finally be a part of the conversation. “A royal betrothal outfit? That’s the kind of thing a fairy godmother lives for! I’m going to make you look like a prince, Freddy!”

“T-Thank you!” Fred beams at her, a bit surprised but not displeased when she hugs him and then kisses him on the cheek--he knew this was pretty standard behavior for her. 

“A royal visit and a betrothal ceremony?” Gogo says, her brow creasing. “That’s going to take some extra security--I’ll go talk to the captain and make sure the guards prepared. We may need some extra security measures.”

“Thank you, your concern is greatly appreciated.” Tadashi gives her a warm smile before turning to Wasabi and continuing, “I’m sorry that I didn’t discuss this with you first, I know that as my advisor I’m supposed to come to you before making important decisions like this…”

“Your aunt supersedes me in cases like this, so I understand,” Wasabi reassures him. “Besides which, while this does seem a bit rushed to me, I can’t think of a better solution myself so I can’t tell you in good conscience not to do what you think is best.”

“Thank you, I appreciate that.” Tadashi nods gratefully to him. 

“So… What do we do for now?” Hiro asks. “I mean, Leia’s not arriving until tomorrow, what do those of us without preparations to make do?”

“Homework?” Tadashi suggests. 

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“Well we do have several assignments due coming up.”

“Bro! I love you, but sometimes you’re a little too duty bound for your own good.” Hiro shakes his head. “You just brought your Earth boyfriend here for the first time and you just want to sit around doing homework?”

“...I guess you have a point,” Tadashi agrees, a smile making its way onto his face as he turns to Fred. “What do you think? Is there anything that you want to do?”

“I’ve already got a longer list than I think we’d ever get through in three lifetimes,” Fred admits with a laugh.

“Oh!” Tadashi gives a surprised chuckle--Fred guessed that his boyfriend (wait, fiance? What was he supposed to call him now?) hadn’t realized just how interesting his own world might be to an outsider. “In that case, I suppose we’d better get started! What’s first on your list?”

“Getting to tour the castle and the grounds would be awesome...”

“An excellent suggestion! We can start that now, if you’d like,” Tadashi tells him with a warm smile.

“After all, Fred should probably get to know his future home,” Hiro teases.

“Future home…?” Fred repeats in confusion before flushing at the realization of what Hiro was implying.

“Hiro!” Tadashi glares at the younger boy as Hiro starts cackling.

“What? You guys are the ones making the betrothal announcement!” 

“That’s just for show and you know it!” Tadashi cries.

“Is it, though?” Fred hears Hiro muttering under his breath as Tadashi attempts to compose himself.

Fred chooses not to respond, trying to keep his cheeks from burning and focus on Tadashi as the little party starts to make their way down the hallway to wherever Tadashi was planning to start the tour from. 

Somehow in the walk, Fred found himself next to Wasabi as the others eagerly discuss what all sights he needed to see on the tour, and curiosity again draws his gaze to all the earrings that the man--elf?--was wearing. Somehow he just didn’t see Wasabi as being the kind of guy who would regularly wear earrings, at least not in the context that guys on Earth would. And so, hoping that he wasn’t majorly crossing any lines, he clears his throat to get Wasabi’s attention and then asks quietly, “Is it okay to ask you something?” 

“Sure,” Wasabi answers, seeming slightly wary but giving Fred his attention.

“It’s just--I was wondering about your earrings?” Fred says. “I met someone who works here in the castle who had ones like yours, and her daughter was telling Tadashi that she’d just gotten her first set of earrings. Is that a big thing in this kingdom?” 

He would have asked if it was a big thing for elves, but in case it wasn’t something specific to elves that might come across incredibly racist, and the last thing that he wanted to do was to insult the guy who was not only one of Tadashi’s closest friends but also apparently his advisor as well.

“Oh, of course.” Wasabi’s face breaks out into a warm smile. “I’m assuming the woman you met is an elf?”

“Yes,” Fred confirms, glad that this didn’t seem to be too sensitive of a topic.

“It’s a coming of age ceremony for us,” Wasabi explains. “Usually you get your first set of earrings and piercings after losing your first tooth--it’s a mark of maturity when you start getting your adult teeth in. After that major life events like your coming of age birthday, becoming betrothed, and things like that are usually marked by a new set of piercings. Earrings are also a pretty common present for special occasions, and you’re allowed to change out your earrings, but certain ones with special meanings, like the ones you receive from your partner when you become married, aren’t usually taken out except for sleeping.”

“Oh…” Fred nods, taking all of this information, and then grins up at Wasabi. “That’s really, really cool! Thanks for telling me.”

“You’re welcome.” Wasabi smiles back, seeming pleased by Fred’s enthusiasm.

The conversation sort of peters out after that, but that didn’t mean Fred wasn’t still fully engaged in what was happening around him. There were so many things going on, and so many interesting things and people to look at, and he didn’t want to miss a single moment of any of this.

“Here we are!” Tadashi finally says after a long walk down a series of staircases that ended in a large, open room that was thronging with people. “The main entryway--I thought this might be the best place to start the tour from since everything branches off from here.”

“I’m very much okay with that!” Fred says with a grin. 

“I suppose we can just go through each floor so you have a chance to see everything?”

“Hey, you know this place better than me, you do whatever you think is best!”

“All right then.” Tadashi laughs and gently takes Fred’s hand in his own, sending a series of small electrical sparks racing up Fred’s arm. “I can’t wait to show you everything. I think you’re truly going to love it here.”

Fred was already completely in love with something (or, make that  _ someone _ ) here, but he wasn’t at all opposed to getting to see home of said person. 

The castle, unsurprisingly, was as incredible and magical as Fred could have imagined it. It wasn’t necessarily any one major thing that made it seem that way. It was just the little bits of casual magic that he saw around the castle--like the housekeepers using magic to clean the rooms, the books in the library that flew back onto the shelves all by themselves from the pile of returns, the tiny pixies that fluttered around plants bringing drooping buds and leaves back to life--that made him feel like he was right in the middle of a Disney movie. It was obvious that Tadashi was completely used to all of this (he had grown up here, after all), but he seemed to notice every time that Fred was fascinated with something that he’d never encountered before on Earth and made an effort to stop and let him observe, or explain it to him. 

“So, what do you think?” Tadashi asks when they finally finish the tour at the rooftop garden/conservatory of the palace.

“What do I think?” Fred answers. “I think it’s  _ amazing _ ! This place is gorgeous! And all the magic--it’s more than anything I could have ever dreamed about as a kid!”

“I’m so glad that you think so!” Tadashi laughs, beaming at him and squeezing his hand. “Especially since I’m hoping we’ll be spending a lot of time here together…”

“S-Spending time here together?” Fred repeats, brain suddenly kicking into overdrive--wait, hadn’t they agreed that they weren’t actually getting engaged yet, that this betrothal was more of a formality?

“I was thinking it would be nice for us to hang out here sometimes?” Tadashi answers, frowning slightly and looking concerned. “But if you don’t want to, I completely understa--”

“Oh! Hanging out! Right!” Fred quickly agrees, trying not to sigh too audibly. “Yes! I definitely would love to hang out here with you when we’re not in classes and stuff! I mean, what greater place to do homework and work on projects than a magic castle, right?”

“I’m glad that you agree,” Tadashi chuckles, looking relieved.

“Plus he’s probably going to have to be here for at least some of our formal events,” Hiro says seriously. “I mean, as Tadashi’s ‘betrothed’, a lot of the other kingdoms are going to be expecting to get the chance to meet him considering Dashi’s turned down all the potential suitors that they’ve sent here.”

“O-Oh…” Fred feels his stomach dropping at those words. He hadn’t thought about that aspect of all of this…

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to!” Tadashi hurriedly tells him. “I would never force you into that!”

“N-No, it actually makes a lot of sense, and I want to do whatever I can to help you! I just… I guess I’m kind of worried about a whole bunch of royals judging if I’m worthy of you or not?”

“You are more than worthy,” Tadashi answers firmly, gripping Fred’s hands tightly in his own. “And anyone who says otherwise will be swiftly and promptly escorted out of the kingdom.”

“T-Thanks, Dashi…” Fred gives him a soft smile and a quick peck on the cheek.

“Of course, my love,” Tadashi answers, pecking him back, and Fred feels an eager thrill running through his body at that--hearing Tadashi calling him his love was more than enough to send him over the moon with happiness. 

“Ugh, enough with all the mushy stuff!” Hiro groans. “It don’t mind you two dating but please stop kissing and being gross in front of me!”

“I’m the future king, and if I want to kiss my betrothed in public there’s nothing that you can do to stop me,” Tadashi answers with a playful grin, wrapping his arms around Fred’s waist.

“Ooh, I like it when you’re being forceful like this,” Fred says, copying Tadashi and coyly pulling his boyfriend a bit closer. 

“Ugh, whatever!” Hiro throws his hands in the air and heads for the stairs. “I’m heading down to dinner, you guys can join me when you stop being gross!”

“As much as I’m enjoying this, he does have a point about dinner,” Tadashi says once he and Fred both stop laughing. “I’ve dragged you all over this castle, you must be getting hungry by now.”

“You didn’t ‘drag’ me, I had fun,” Fred reassures him. “But dinner does actually sound pretty good.”

“Okay then!” Tadashi smiles and gently tugs on Fred’s hand. “Let’s go make sure that you’re properly fed--can’t have my betrothed collapsing, can I?” 

“No, I guess not,” Fred chuckles, trying not to overthink the fact that he was rather liking the way it sounded when Tadashi called him his betrothed, even if he was just joking. It was far too early to be seriously thinking about marriage. Still… He found that he certainly wouldn’t mind if that was something that came in the future for them.

Dinner, as it turned out, wasn’t quite as overwhelming of an ordeal as Fred had started to fear it would be as they made their way down to the banquet hall where all the meals were served. He’d thought it would be like the fancy dinners that his parents sometimes hosted, and Tadashi did warn him that it would be like that the next night at the welcoming dinner for Leia. However, as it was just the family tonight, it was a very informal affair, and Fred quickly found himself feeling right at home as Aunt Cass and the boys shared stories and caught each other up on the day’s news. Aunt Cass seemed to be making a special effort to include Fred, asking him about his classes at school and his interests and hobbies. Fred felt slightly intimidated at first, thinking that there was no way she could actually be interested in his (by comparison) rather boring life. But she seemed genuinely interested to learn more about him, and with some minor encouragement from Tadashi he found himself opening up until he was, if not entirely comfortable with the rest of Tadashi’s family, feeling that he was on his way to being so.

After dinner, it was determined that the family was going to retire for the night so that they could be well rested for the events of the next day. Tadashi asked if Fred preferred to stay the night or if he needed an escort home so that his family wouldn’t worry about him being gone for so long. Fred, for his part, wasn’t near ready to leave yet (he was afraid that if he left he’d wake up the next morning to find out all of this was a dream), so after a quick call to Heathcliff to let him know that he was staying the night with a friend (Fred had no idea how cell service to Earth worked here any more than he understood how Earth internet worked here, but he wasn’t going to question it) Tadashi helped him get settled into a guest chamber for the night.

The chamber was lovely--like the rest of the castle, it looked like it was something straight out of a fairytale. The decorations, while minimal, were elegant and gave the room a whimsical charm; the bathroom hosted the largest bath tub that Fred had ever seen in person which was perfect for a long soak if he felt like one; and the bed was probably the softest Fred had ever had the pleasure of lying on. 

All in all, Fred felt that he should have been completely comfortable and drifted off easily after changing into the night clothes that Tadashi had provided for him (which were also much nicer and softer than anything he’d ever worn before.) Still, after climbing into bed and lying there for an hour and a half, he was no closer to sleep than he had been when he started out. For some reason, sleep was eluding him, no matter what tricks he tried to help himself doze off. He’d always had a bit of a problem with trying to sleep in new places, and being in an entirely new world in addition to his worries about the next day that were starting to swirl around in his brain like it was a bowl of anxiety soup certainly wasn’t helping matters.

Finally, after much tossing and turning, he gets up and, bringing a small electric candle with him for light, pads out into the dark corridor. He gets lost twice, but finally he manages to find Tadashi’s room. Taking a deep breath and hoping that Tadashi wasn’t too deeply asleep yet, he knocks on the door.

For a minute he was afraid that Tadashi hadn’t been able to hear him, but then he starts to hear sleepy noises coming from inside, and, a few seconds later, the door cracks open.

“Fred?” Tadashi asks, peering outside in confusion though half open eyes, and Fred suddenly finds himself swallowing convulsively because in every scenario he’d imagined he hadn’t expected Tadashi to open the door while shirtless and _ wow _ if he hadn’t known that his boyfriend was gorgeous before he certainly did now.

“Fred, is everything okay?” Tadashi prompts when Fred fails to respond. 

“I, um…” Fred forces himself to stop ogling and try to remember why exactly he was here in the first place. “O-Oh, yeah! I, well… I couldn’t sleep. T-There’s nothing wrong with the room, it’s amazing! I just have a really hard time sleeping in new places, so I was wondering--” 

“Were you coming to ask if you could stay with me tonight?”

“...” Fred had actually been about to ask Tadashi if he’d mind if he went home for the night and came back in the morning before Leia arrived, but the option Tadashi had just offered sounded a thousand times better.

“I-If you wouldn’t mind…” Fred says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Come on, then.” Tadashi offers him a sleepy but still warm smile as he opens the door to his room wider. Fred steps inside, his heart racing slightly as Tadashi closes the door behind him and then gently takes him by the hand to lead him over to the bed. Even though he doubted anything at all sexual would be happening, he realized that this would be the first time that he and Tadashi had ever shared a bed before. It was all he could do just to keep his breathing at a fairly normal rate as Tadashi climbs into the bed and then motions for him to join him. Fred does so, painstakingly slowly and keeping a careful amount of distance between them, only to suddenly find Tadashi wrapping his arms around him and pulling him right up against his bare chest, settling his chin on the top of his head. 

“D-Dashi?” Fred squeaks out--maybe things were going to go a bit farther than he’d thought they were going to--only to realize from the soft sound of snoring that Tadashi was already asleep again. It was doubtful he’d ever been fully awake in the first place. Still, Fred wasn’t about to complain. This was incredibly nice, and somehow, between the warmth of Tadashi’s body and the steady beat of his heart in his chest against Fred’s ear, Fred finally found himself drifting off into a deep and peaceful sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Fred awoke the next morning to the sound of someone loudly knocking on the door. It takes him a moment to remember where he is, and when he does he lets out a soft moan, burying his face into Tadashi’s chest--he was so warm and comfortable, he didn’t want to have to get up!

Tadashi, lying next to him, seems to be slowly rousing, but he didn’t seem any more keen on getting up than Fred did.

“Five more minutes…” Tadashi mumbles, wrapping his arms a bit tighter around Fred, something that Fred didn’t mind in the slightest. 

“Tadashi, it’s time to get up!” Fred hears Honey Lemon sing-song, coming bursting into the room with far too much energy for the earliness of the hour. “C’mon, rise and shine, I spent half the night making outfits for you and Fred and I need to do fittings for both of you before Leia gets here!”

“Jesus Christ, Aiko, it’s too early for this!” For a moment Fred was completely thrown off--he’d never heard Tadashi sound particularly angry before, let alone curse! But he didn’t have much time to think about that because he suddenly finds himself being pulled upright as Tadashi sits up, and from the shocked look on Honey Lemon’s face it was very clear exactly what she thought was going on. 

“O-Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Honey Lemon quickly starts backing out of the room. “I-I didn’t realize that you two…! J-Just come to my room when you’re done, okay?” 

“Wait, Honey Lemon, it’s not what it looks like!” Fred tries to explain, but the door was already closing. 

“What the hell was that about?” Tadashi mutters before stiffening as he looks down and seems to notice Fred for the first time. “...Shit.”

“I-I’m sorry!” Fred cries, terrified that he’d just disgraced the entire royal family and that Tadashi hated him for it. Ashamed, he starts to pull away. “I-I should have known you were half asleep last night and not accepted your offer to sleep with you--!” 

“What? Oh, Fred, no!” Tadashi quickly pulls him back in. “Love, it’s okay! I feel like I should be the one apologizing to you, I never meant to put you in this position… I was so tired last night that I wasn’t using my best judgment, but that still doesn’t excuse what I did…” 

“You didn’t ‘do’ anything!” Fred protests. “Literally all we did was lie here sleeping! I mean… Actually, being here with you helped me to finally sleep, which I was having a really hard time doing last night…” 

“I guess there’s really nothing to be ashamed of, as long as you don’t mind what happened…” Tadashi says slowly, seeming to relax slightly. 

“I don’t mind a bit--I actually really enjoyed it,” Fred answers firmly. 

“All right then.” Tadashi gently kisses his cheek. “In that case we’ll just explain to Honey Lemon what happened and clear things up--I can’t imagine she would break our confidence and tell anyone else.”

“Y’know, not that I’d mind if we’d… Well, actually been doing what she thought we were doing,” Fred says slowly, trying to test the waters to see how Tadashi was feeling about maybe taking things a step further.

Tadashi’s eyes widen slightly for a moment, but then his hands curl against the small of Fred’s back and a smile twitches at the corners of his mouth. “I wouldn’t mind either, to tell the truth. But maybe it’s best that we get through all of this betrothal business first and then it’s something that we can discuss…?”

“Of course!” Fred was just thrilled that Tadashi was even willing to consider it.

“Good.” Tadashi playfully kisses the tip of his nose. “For now, let’s get dressed so we can go find Honey Lemon and get things started.” 

“Right!” Fred agrees, standing up as Tadashi lets go of him to throw back the covers. 

“So, um… You actually curse, huh?” Fred says a little while later as Tadashi hands him some clothes to change into for the walk to Honey Lemon’s room.

“What?” Tadashi looked confused for a moment before freezing mid-motion. “I-- Oh dear, I was cursing in front of you when I just woke up, wasn’t I?” 

“Yeah, you kinda were,” Fred answers with a slightly concerned frown. “You okay? You seem to be having a lot of memory lapses right now…” 

“I-I’m sorry… You may have guessed by now that I’m not a morning person,” Tadashi says, his cheeks flushed and not meeting Fred’s eyes. 

“Yeah, I did.” Fred reaches over to squeeze Tadashi’s hand. “And I’m not mad about you cursing--you know how much I curse on a regular basis. I was just a bit surprised, I’ve never heard you do it before.” 

“It’s something I try to avoid doing when I can.” Tadashi squeezes his hand back gratefully and gives him a sheepish smile. “I’m the crown prince, it’s my job to be composed and level headed at all times. That’s why I try to remain in control of my words and emotions whenever I’m in public, to make sure that I’m representing my kingdom in the best possible way. There are so many people who are constantly looking for any possible excuse they can find to criticize this kingdom and to criticize me in particular, the last thing I need to be doing is making myself an easy target.”

“I can definitely see why you’d need to do that,” Fred says slowly with a nod. “Still, I can’t help but think maybe that’s not healthy to restrain yourself like that 24/7. I’ve seen you loosen up around Hiro sometimes, and you look a lot happier when you do. I just want you to know that-- Well, if you’re comfortable with it, that it’s okay to loosen up when you’re alone with me too and use whatever language you need to to express yourself.”

“...You are amazing,” Tadashi says softly, tracing one hand down the side of Fred’s face and smiling. 

“I’m glad you think so.” Fred beams at him and lightly pecks him on the cheek before pulling away. “I guess I should probably go get dressed so that we can go talk to Honey Lemon…”

“Probably,” Tadashi agrees with a wry smile. 

“Okay then. See you in a minute.” Fred says after Tadashi supplies him with fresh clothes, heading for the bathroom to change. Just before stepping inside, however, he makes a point of pulling off his shirt and turning around to give Tadashi a playful wink before closing the door behind himself. The fleeting glance that he had of the expression on Tadashi’s face was more than enough to fill every inch of his body with pleasure. Hey, he’d gotten to enjoy Tadashi without his shirt on last night and this morning. It only seemed fair to return the favor.

About ten minutes later, fully dressed and ready for the day, Fred and Tadashi arrive at Honey Lemon’s room. Tadashi takes the initiative to knock on the door, and it doesn’t take long for it to creak open.

“Oh, hey!” Honey Lemon peeks her head outside. “I’m surprised you guys got here this quickly! You didn’t have to rush on my account!” 

“Honey Lemon, I think I should make it clear that what you saw this morning was not me and Fred sleeping together,” Tadashi says, seeming flustered. “I mean, we were sleeping in the same bed, but we weren’t actually--!”

“Dashi, it’s okay!” Honey Lemon gently pats his cheek. “I understand what you’re trying to say. And while I wouldn’t have any problem if the two you were doing more than just sleeping next to each other, if you say that that isn’t what you were doing then I believe you.” 

“Really?” Tadashi gives her a relieved smile.

“Really.” Honey Lemon nods firmly before dragging both him and Fred into her room. “Now c’mon! You guys need to try on the outfits I made for you!”

“Wow…” Fred breathes when he sees the outfits that were currently being displayed on dressmaker’s dummies in the middle of the rainbow colored chaos of fabric, ribbons, and threads that was the fairy godmother’s room. “I-I actually get to wear one of those?”

“Of course!” Honey Lemon beams and leads him over. “This one is yours!” 

“Wow…” Fred whispers, barely daring to touch the rich fabric. Honey Lemon had clearly taken his clothing preferences into account--the overcoat was turquoise (a nod to his favorite beanie that he was almost never without), and with the loose layers it was clearly made with comfort in mind, but it still looked respectably regal. Glancing over at Tadashi’s outfit, he saw that its coat was made in the same olive green of the blazer that Tadashi was so fond of wearing around campus, with a cravat in the same turquoise as his coat, a simple but seemingly purposeful choice that allowed their outfits to match slightly without going overboard and making them look like they were trying to dress as twins.

“You’ve outdone yourself yet again!” Tadashi agrees with a grin.

“Awww, thanks you guys!” Honey Lemon beams at them, her wings fluttering excitedly, before hurrying over to a chair and picking up a folded stack of garments. “And Freddy, these are for you too! They’re casual clothes so you have some different options of things to wear over here instead of having to borrow Dashi’s clothes all the time!”

“You made all of these last night?!” Fred cries, shocked as he accepts the clothes from here.

“Yeah, of course!” Honey Lemon giggles. “I’m a fairy godmother, it’s what I do!” 

“That is still  _ majorly _ impressive!” 

“You’re too sweet, Freddy! Now, I want the both of you to try on your outfits for the banquet for tonight to make sure that they fit, and then Fred, you can change into some of your new clothes for the welcoming ceremony!”

“Wait, what? You mean I have to wear one outfit to welcome the princess and a different one for the banquet?” 

“It’s just how things are doing here,” Tadashi says with a wry smile. “I know it’s a pain, but it’s considered a sign of respect.”

“Well… In that case, for you, I’ll do it. Whatever will make things easiest for you.”

“Thank you, love.” Tadashi gently kisses his cheek. “I promise I’ll make it up to you later.”

“Oh, I’m counting on it,” Fred answers with a coy smile, instantly rewarded by a completely adorable blush from Tadashi. 

The fittings don’t take too long, and as Fred had expected everything fit perfectly (it was Honey Lemon’s work, after all.) Once they were both dressed in the clothes that they were planning to wear to meet Leia (Tadashi helped Fred pick out an outfit from the more casual clothes that Honey Lemon had made, and Fred had to admit that they suited his sense of style as much as the more formal outfit), the couple head down to eat breakfast with the rest of the family. Everywhere in the hallways there seemed to be people running around making last minute preparations. Fred started to feel some anxiety clawing away at the bottom of his stomach--he’d never met someone as important as a princess outside of Tadashi before--but Tadashi does his best to ease his mind.

“Leia and I have been friends since we were kids. She’s very grounded, but she can also be a lot of fun when she loosens up. And she’s very loyal to her friends. The only thing that you have to worry about is if you get on her bad side, but I know that you won’t,” Tadashi says encouragingly a little later on that morning as they wait in the castle’s front entryway with the rest of the royal welcoming party for Leia’s arrival.

“What if I do get on her bad side?” Fred asks, terrified that he’d find some way to irrevocably offend her.

“The only way you could get on her bad side is if you’re actively hurting people she cares about. And trust me, knowing both of you as well as I do I know that you’ll get along great,” Tadashi promises, lightly squeezing his hand. 

“I hope you’re right…” Fred mumbles before stiffening at the sound of distant bugles. 

“That will be her,” Tadashi says, straightening up and offering his arm to Fred. “Come on. Let’s go out to meet her together.”   
“Are you sure it’s all right for me to be part of this? I feel like it’s something that would only be for royal dignitaries or something…”

“Well, on top of being ‘ambassador’ from Earth, you’re the betrothed of the crown prince of this kingdom, so that does make you essentially a dignitary,” Tadashi answers with a grin before adding gently, “Believe me, love--you have nothing to worry about. And I’d be so, so happy if you’d do me the honor of joining me for this.” 

When Tadashi was being so sweet, how could Fred say no? He swallows thickly before finally nodding and taking Tadashi’s arm to follow him outside.

Out in the castle’s courtyard, a silver colored carriage was waiting, drawn by a pair of pure white horses, and there were quite a few attendants and guards around it. At first it looked perfectly like something out of a fairy story--that is, until they got closer and Fred suddenly realized that the horses were actually robots. And when the door to the carriage opened and a gold colored android steps out to announce the princess, Fred feels his mouth dropping open. No way. No freaking way. What kind of a kingdom was this?!

The princess (or who Fred could only guess was the princess) steps out of the carriage, dressed in a flowing white gown with a silver belt, her long brown hair coiled in a braid on the top of her head that ended trailing down her back. Fred’s first impression from her warm smile was that she seemed friendly enough, but there was a certain shrewdness in her deep brown eyes that made him think she was definitely not someone to be taken lightly or crossed. 

“Tadashi! It’s wonderful to see you,” the princess says, stepping forwards and opening her arms to Tadashi. 

“Leia, it’s been far too long!” Tadashi beams as he meets her and wraps her into a tight hug.

Okay, so apparently royals weren’t terribly stiff and formal about things here? Or at least Tadashi and Leia weren’t.This certainly wasn’t the bowing and curtseying that Fred had half expected after everything that he’d seen here so far.Tadashi had mentioned that he and Leia were childhood friends, so maybe that had something to do with it. Fred might have been tempted to feel a tiny bit jealous if he didn’t know that Tadashi was the type of person who freely gave hugs to the people he was closest with, and if Tadashi hadn’t almost immediately turned to him and continued, “Leia, I’d like you to meet Fred, my boyfriend. I hope that the two of you will get a chance to know each other on this visit and become as close as you and I are.”

“Boyfriend? That certainly is a new development!” Leia looks Fred over, and for a moment he had the rather disconcerting feeling that she was peering into his very soul and and making her judgment of his character. Fortunately, she seemed to like whatever she saw because a few moments later she smiles and offers him her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Fred.”    
“Y-You too,” Fred answers, feeling a bit awkward shaking her hand (was this too informal? Was he going to get taken down by one of her guards for being this forward?) but relaxing when no one seemed put off or offended by what he was doing. 

“Come, you’ve had a long journey and I’m sure we have much to discuss,” Tadashi says, smiling as he gestures towards the palace door, clearly as glad as Fred was with how well things were going.

“I believe we do,” Leia agrees before turning to her attendants. “Ezra, with me, if you please. The rest of you, make yourselves comfortable and at home here.” 

“Our staff will show you to your lodgings,” Tadashi adds as a blue haired guard (Fred couldn’t help but notice how young he was--he couldn’t have been much older than Hiro) steps forward and, with a quick bow, follows after them as Tadashi leads their little party into the castle. Tadashi and Leia were happily chatting away about things that were going right over Fred’s head (he supposed that that was only to be expected considering the extremely limited amount of time he’d known about this kingdom, let alone Leia’s) so he just silently followed along and tried to pretend that he knew what the hell was going on. 

He found himself glancing back at the guard, Ezra, wondering if maybe the polite thing to do would be to try to speak with him since Tadashi and Leia were wrapped up in their own conversation. But then he realized with a start that, without his even noticing, Hiro had joined their group. Furthermore, while both Hiro and Ezra were looking straight ahead, as if not even noticing each other, they were walking oddly close together. A quick glance downwards revealed that the two of them had their pinkies linked together, not quite concealed in the folds of Hiro’s midnight blue cloak. 

Fred quickly turns back around, trying to fight a smile. So Hiro had a special someone after all. That was incredibly adorable. But wait--did Tadashi know about this? Did Leia? Was that why Hiro and Ezra were being so low-key about things? Were they afraid of what would happen if anyone felt out? Well that wasn’t right! If they were in love, or at least liked each other, who else’s business was it? No one’s, that’s who! 

Fred had almost worked himself up to a full-on strop, determined to be the best ally that the two teens could possibly have, when Tadashi turns the little group aside into a well lit sitting room, closing the door as soon as they were all inside. Almost instantly Hiro and Ezra let go of each other’s hands, but in place of that Ezra (who was about a head taller than Hiro) wraps his arms around the shorter teen’s waist and lifts him up to pull him into a kiss, Hiro laughing but grinning as he wraps his arms around Ezra’s shoulders for support and kisses him back.

“I wondered how long it would take you two to break!” Tadashi laughs, shaking his head but not at all looking upset. 

“Pay up. I told you that they’d start kissing as soon as they got in the room!” Leia tells Tadashi with a playful smile of her own. 

“Ah ah ah, but you missed that they were holding hands in the hallway!” Tadashi protests.

“Only by the pinkie!” 

“It still counts!” 

Fred lets out a sigh of relief, glad that Hiro and Ezra were clearly accepted here. Still, he had to wonder…

“Um, can I ask why you guys were being so secretive out there?” he asks, hoping that he wouldn’t offend anyone with the question. 

“Well, for one thing, I was supposed to be on guard duty,” Ezra says, carefully setting Hiro back down but not removing his arms from his waist. 

“ _ Supposed  _ to be,” Leia quietly snorts, although she didn’t seem angry. 

“And for another, we’re not trying to let the whole castle know that we’re dating,” Hiro adds. “I mean, not that anyone would mind if we were. But people get so nosy and put way too much pressure on you when you’re a royal in a relationship! We’d rather enjoy our privacy for as long as we can.”

“Aunt Cass knows, and so does Ezra’s adopted family,” Tadashi clarifies for Fred, who still looked slightly confused, as Hiro and Ezra retreat to a chaise lounge in the far corner of the room, talking softly and seeming wrapped up in their own little world. “And they all are perfectly fine with it. Ezra’s adopted father, Kanan, and adopted uncle, Zeb, are co-captains of the guard back in Luclandia. Ezra’s been training to be a guard himself ever since Kanan and his wife, Hera, adopted him--their adopted daughter, Sabine, is on the guard too. Ezra came here to train with our guard for a bit about a year ago--it’s common for guards-in-training to visit other kingdoms to learn different skills and gain new experiences--and I’m not quite sure how it happened but evidently he and Hiro were sneaking around having secret rendezvous for a while before I caught wind of it. Or, more accurately, walked in on it.” He shakes his head and smirks slightly. “I believe they’re making their own plans for the future--possibly seeing if Ezra could transfer to the guard here full time so they can be closer together--and I’ll support whatever decisions that they make.”

“As will I,” Leia agrees. “I’m fully in agreement with whatever they choose for their path. Tadashi made sure that I was aware of what was happening and that’s why I specifically requested Ezra to be part of my personal guard for this trip, so that they could have plenty of time together.”

“That’s really cool of you guys!” Fred grins at them, glad to know that Hiro and Ezra had so much support.

“I’m just glad to be helping my brother find happiness,” Tadashi says with a small shrug. 

“And Ezra’s a dear friend, I’m happy to help him,” Leia agrees before looking at Fred with frank curiosity. “I hope you don’t mind me changing the subject, but may I ask where you’re from? I’ve travelled extensively, and don’t believe we’ve ever had the pleasure of crossing paths before.”

“I…” Fred glances over at Tadashi, not quite sure how much he was supposed to reveal. 

“We actually met at the school I’m attending for my training period.” Tadashi comes to Fred’s rescue, looping an arm loosely around his waist. 

“I see!” Leia’s eyes light up with interest. “So you’re from Earth, then?” 

“Yeah, I am,” Fred agrees hesitantly, hoping that this was a good thing--he remembered what Tadashi had said about how the other worlds felt about Earth.

“I’ve never had the chance to visit there myself--I’ve always had questions about what it’s like! Is there any chance you might be willing to answer them?” Leia asks eagerly. 

“Sure!” Fred answers. “And, if you wouldn’t mind, maybe you could answer some questions for me about your world? I didn’t even know about any other worlds but Earth until… Well, yesterday. And I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do!”

“Of course!” Leia nods and smiles, gesturing to some nearby chairs. “Let’s get comfortable and then we can begin!” 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little nsfw in this chapter, so if you want to skip that part stop reading at the "---" mark and pick back up after the second "---" mark. Just wanted to give people the out if they're not comfortable! Otherwise, please, READ ON! :)

Fred quickly found himself completely immersed in the conversation--Leia’s world sounded absolutely fascinating, almost a combination of fantasy and sci-fi. Luclandia was run similarly to Tadashi’s kingdom, but they had quite a lot more robots and emphasis on technological discoveries. They were apparently the first kingdom to create starships that allowed travel between worlds, and Leia called Ezra over to show some of their more advanced weaponry, such as the laser bladed swords that all castle guards carried. 

“Until recently our kingdom was pretty hesitant about exploring advances in technology ourselves, but Leia’s and my parents started working to help bring us forward into the future, and Leia and I are doing everything that we can to continue that mission,” Tadashi explains for Fred’s benefit. 

Leia, for her part, seemed as fascinated with Earth as Fred was with her kingdom. Fred wasn’t quite sure why she would be so interested in such an ordinary place as Earth, but, then again, maybe he supposed maybe Luclandia seemed ordinary to someone who had grown up there as well. 

It was well into the afternoon, after a light lunch had been brought in for them (and Hiro and Ezra had disappeared without a word hours ago), that Leia proposed that it was time for them to go get ready for dinner. 

“Of course!” Tadashi agrees before adding, “But, before you leave, there is something that I think I should… Not warn you about, exactly, but make you aware of, at the very least.” 

“Yes?” Leia glance curiously between him and Fred as Tadashi takes Fred’s hand in his own. 

“Tonight’s banquet, as well as being a welcoming dinner for you, will be serving as--well, it will serve as my public announcement of my betrothal to Fred.” 

“Your betrothal?” Leia repeats, eyes widening. “My, I certainly did miss a lot in my absence! But I offer my wholehearted congratulations to both of you.” 

“W-Wait, we’re not actually engaged or anything!” Fred stammers out. 

“But Tadashi just said--” Leia frowns in confusion. 

“This is more of a political matter than anything,” Tadashi sighs. “I hate that we’re being rushed into this, but, as you know, the other kingdoms have continued sending their choices for potential matches for me here on ‘visits’. I’ve put up with it until now, but now that I’m dating Fred, I’m not at all comfortable with the practice continuing. Still, the other kingdoms won’t take our relationship seriously unless we’ve officially announced our intent to be wed, so this is the best plan that we were able to come up with. It was Aunt Cass’s idea, and Fred was kind enough to agree to it.” 

“It’s not that we’re against getting married someday!” Fred quickly hurries to add.

“We’re absolutely not against that,” Tadashi agrees. “But for both of us we feel we haven’t been a couple long enough to be able to make that commitment. Still, this will help take pressure off of our relationship for the moment…”

“I see.” Leia nods slowly. “I’m very sorry to hear that it’s come to this. But I and my kingdom will fully stand in support of both of you, and I’ll do everything that I can to help.” 

“Thank you, Leia.” Tadashi gives her a grateful smile. 

“Of course.” Leia returns the smile warmly before opening the door. “I’ll see both of you down at dinner, then. I wish you the best of luck!” 

Tadashi bows her out of the room, and then he turns to Fred. “Well, I suppose it’s time. Would you prefer to prepare for dinner with me, or do you need some time to collect yourself alone?”

“Honestly? I think it’s probably best I get ready with you or else I might get too nervous and pull a Cinderella,” Fred admits with a wry smile. 

“Fred, love, you do realize that you don’t have to do this if you’re not comfortable, don’t you?” Tadashi says, frowning and cupping Fred’s cheek in his hand. “If you don’t want to do this, I would never force you. In fact, if you want to leave right now and never come back to this place, I won’t stop you.”

“Dashi, I want to do this.” Fred nuzzles against Tadashi’s hand, incredibly grateful that Tadashi was so concerned with his well being in all of this. “I want to do this--not just for you, but with you. I’m nervous, yeah, but if you’ll stay with me I know I’ll make it through this.” 

“All right.” Tadashi tenderly kisses Fred’s forehead. “But if at any time you want to stop, you let me know immediately, all right?”

“I will,” Fred promises, his brain choosing to point out that this almost felt like Tadashi asking for his consent for something both less and infinitely more important. If Tadashi was this sweet and concerned with his well being during this sham of a betrothal, he could only imagine what a caring partner he would be in bed… 

But no. Fred shakes his head to clear his mind of those thoughts as Tadashi leads him out into the hallway. First they had to get through the banquet. The last thing he needed on top of all of this stress was the awkwardness of a boner to deal with. Still, as he and Tadashi get ready for the banquet together, even though they purposefully changed in different parts of the room, he couldn’t help but notice that Tadashi seemed to have become comfortable with getting at least partially naked in front of him… Was that a sign that maybe he was ready to take things to the next step too?

All thoughts about sex were quickly banished from Fred’s thoughts as soon as he and Tadashi walked into the banquet hall. There wasn’t a large number of guests, but there were still a number of lesser nobles and dignitaries from this kingdom who had been invited to the welcoming dinner for Leia, and Tadashi made a point of introducing him to all of them. Under the best of circumstances Fred’s memory for names was rotten, but tonight he was absolutely hopeless, the names disappearing from his brain the moment they were spoken. At least all of them seemed fairly nice and welcoming, and Fred made a mental promise to ask Tadashi’s help with memorizing their names later in private. 

As soon as the whirlwind of introductions was completed, Fred found himself being seated at the banquet table on Tadashi’s right (Aunt Cass headed the table, with Leia and Hiro seated across from them.) Aunt Cass made a speech that, as far as he could tell, was some sort of welcome for Leia (there was an odd ringing in his ears so that he could barely hear anything that was being said.) And then Tadashi was standing up, looking only slightly less nervous than he felt, and Fred felt his heart leaping up into his throat as Tadashi asked for everyone’s attention. 

_ Oh God, oh God, oh God, this is actually happening… _

“I want to thank you all for being here tonight,” Tadashi says, his voice remarkably steady, although Fred could detect a slight tremble in it, and he finds himself worming his hand into Tadashi’s for support. Tadashi gives it a grateful squeeze and takes a deep breath before continuing, sounding slightly more confident, “We’re here to celebrate the arrival of our dear friend and ally, Princess Leia.” 

There was a smattering of polite but friendly applause, which Leia accepts with a gracious nod and a smile, but Fred can see a steely glint as she glances back over at Tadashi and himself, and he feels her trying to silently send her support to them. 

“But we’re here tonight to celebrate another important occasion as well,” Tadashi continues, gently tugging on Fred’s hand, which Fred took as his sign to stand up. His legs felt like jelly, but he manages to get to his feet, his hand wrapped in a vice-like grip around Tadashi’s. 

“After our period of courtship, I’ve never felt more sure that there’s no one else that I’d rather spend the rest of my life with,” Tadashi continues, and there was a raw, honest conviction in his words that left Fred breathless, although this time it had nothing to do with nerves. “We’ve both agreed that we want to finish our education before moving any further. But as of tonight, by Fred’s agreement and with my aunt’s blessing, I am officially announcing my betrothal to Frederick Daniel Lee of San Fransokyo.” 

There was dead silence for a full moment, but in the silence, even though his heart was beating like a kettle drum in his chest, Fred knows that he had never been more sure that he was completely and totally in love with Tadashi, especially as Tadashi smiles over at him, his eyes shining with pure adoration and devotion.

“Luclandia recognizes this betrothal, and wishes the both of you all joy and blessings in your life together.” Fred had almost forgotten that anyone else was in the room, but he was incredibly grateful to see Leia standing, raising her glass in a toast. That seemed to rouse the others at the table, and suddenly one by one the other nobles and dignitaries stood and also pledged their support and well wishes to the couple. Fred found himself leaning against Tadashi for support, unable to believe that things were actually going this well. And he definitely couldn’t believe it when people started  _ bowing _ \--wait, were they bowing to  _ him _ ? Was that even possible?

“We did it, love,” Tadashi says softly in Fred’s ear when they’re finally able to sit back down and the actual meal began, the rest of Tadashi’s family looking as relieved as they felt. 

“I-I guess we did,” Fred agrees, still shaking slightly but inexpressibly glad that the worst part was over. 

The rest of the meal passed in a blur. Fred knew that he conversed with Aunt Cass and Hiro and Leia, and even a few nearby guests at the table, but if asked afterwards what they’d talked about he wouldn’t be able to recall a single thing. His brain was so overloaded with both relief and the emotions that Tadashi’s short but impassioned speech had stirred up inside of him that it didn’t have room for anything else. It seemed like no time had passed at all before he suddenly found himself walking through the dimly lit corridors back to Tadashi’s room. 

“As badly as that could have gone, I think we can be incredibly grateful for how it went,” he heard Tadashi saying, although he himself more interested in the feeling of Tadashi’s arm around his waist (or, more specifically, slightly lower than his waist) than the words that he was saying. “The official betrothal announcements will have to be sent out, but with Luclandia pledging their official support no one in their right mind will try to protest, so we should be in the clear at this point!” 

“Hey, Tadashi?” 

“Yes, love?” Tadashi smiles down at him as they reach the door to his room. “I’m sorry, have I been boring you with all of this talk of politics?” 

“No, it’s fine,” Fred answers, taking a deep breath before continuing, “Did you… Did you mean what you said back there? About wanting to spend the rest of your life with me?” 

“I didn’t realize quite how much I meant it until I said it, but… Yes,” Tadashi answers, sounding slightly hesitant. “Is… Is that alright with you?” 

“It’s more than alright,” Fred answers, grinning as he starts to pull Tadashi into a kiss. “Because I actually feel the same way about you too.” 

Tadashi hums softly into the kiss, one hand gripping tighter around Fred’s waist as the other one starts to fumble blindly for the doorknob behind them. It didn’t take long for him to find it, and they end up stumbling into the room together, Fred somehow knowing that this was about to become a night that he’d never forget for more reasons than just the betrothal banquet. 

\---

He wasn’t quite sure how this would all work--this was their first time together (as far as he knew, it was both of their first times), but he takes a chance by taking the lead, kicking the door shut behind them and somehow managing to turn the lock without breaking the kiss before backing Tadashi up against the wall. Tadashi didn’t seem to mind at all, letting Fred press up against him and eagerly kissing him back. 

“Are you okay with this?” Fred breathes when he pulls away for air, his body already showing how much he wanted this but wanting to make sure that Tadashi was fully and without any doubt ready to do this. 

“Absolutely,” Tadashi answers, raising one hand to stroke Fred’s cheek. “Are you?” 

“I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.” 

“Good.” Fred was a bit startled when Tadashi suddenly started to push him away, but then he saw that the other man was shedding his overcoat and kicking off his shoes and Fred quickly follows suit, wanting to get this properly started as soon as they possibly could. 

When Tadashi was down to his undershirt and breeches (Fred allowed himself to fully enjoy how nicely they accentuated Tadashi’s ass), he stops undressing, making Fred wonder just what kind of game he was up to. 

“Are you going to leave me to undress all by myself?” Tadashi asks with a playful pout as he reclines onto his bed, and Fred quickly caught on to exactly what he was doing. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Fred answers with a grin, coming over to climb on top of Tadashi and “help” him take his shirt off. As soon as the garment was gone, Fred allows his hands to freely wander over Tadashi’s chest, determined to explore every gorgeous bump and curve of his body.

Tadashi lets out a happy mewl at that, but eventually he catches Fred’s hands in his own, asking with a tiny smirk, “This is all very nice, but when are you going to play fair? You get to see me, but when do I get to see your gorgeous body? I only got to see a glimpse when you were teasing me this morning, and I need much more than just a few seconds to fully appreciate you.” 

“Of course, my love.” Fred was truly a bit nervous about this--he’d always considered himself to be on the skinny and gangly side, so he wasn’t sure that Tadashi would be at all impressed. Still, Tadashi seemed eager and so he leans back far enough to pull off his own shirt and toss it off to the side of the bed. 

Tadashi’s gaze slowly traces down Fred’s body, leaving him feeling slightly exposed until Tadashi purrs out, “How is it that I’m lucky enough that my lover is not only the kindest and most good hearted man in all the worlds, but also the most handsome?” 

Fred barely had time to process this--Tadashi actually thought he was handsome after seeing this much of him?--before Tadashi was pulling him down into a kiss that left his mind reeling. He eagerly kisses Tadashi back, feeling himself growing harder with every moment of the kiss but determined to not take this any faster than Tadashi was ready for.

He practically chokes--his breath hitching violently--as Tadashi starts to roll his hips against him without any warning.

“You’re being so shy, love,” Tadashi whispers softly into his ear. “You don’t have to do anything that you’re not comfortable with, but you also don’t have to hold back if you want to go further.” 

“I-I just don’t want to do anything that you’re not comfortable with,” Fred admits, his cheeks blazing with heat--he’d never have guessed that Tadashi would be like this in bed. He wasn’t at all turned off by it (quite the opposite, actually), but it was a bit unexpected considering how reserved Tadashi had been up to this point. Still, he had been the one who had told Tadashi that he didn’t have to hold back around him...

“I’m comfortable with going as far as you want to go,” Tadashi answers with a tender smile. “And if that means going all the way tonight, I am more than ready for that.” 

“Y-Yeah?” 

“Absolutely.” 

“O-Okay.” Fred swallows thickly. “I-I want that too….” 

“I’m glad that we’re in agreement.” Tadashi grins up at him before unbuttoning his own pants and taking one of Fred’s hands in his own, placing it on his stomach and starting to draw it downwards towards the waistband of his undergarments. He kept his hold loose, clearly prepared to let Fred pull away at any moment, but also encouraging him to take the next step if he was ready. Fred was still feeling just the tiniest bit of nerves as he finally slips his hand inside of Tadashi’s shorts, but the minute that he heard the gorgeous sound of Tadashi’s first moan as his fingers tentatively graze over his erection he knew that both of them were fully and completely ready for this.

\---

“T-That was amazing,” Fred gasps out an indeterminate amount of time later--he’d lost track of how long they’d been at it, but who cared how long it had been when it had been the most amazing experience of his life? They could have been in here a hundred years and he wouldn’t have cared. 

“It was,” Tadashi agrees, softly kissing the back of his neck before nuzzling against it--of the many things they were figuring out tonight, it was that while Tadashi preferred to be on the bottom he also enjoyed being the big spoon, something Fred was incredibly okay with (he would never turn down cuddles with Tadashi, and after-sex cuddles were just that much sweeter.) 

“So basically I just had sex with Prince Charming--definitely something I think they’ll be leaving out of our fairytale if anyone ever writes it down,” Fred laughs. 

“Oh, shut up!” Tadashi says, but he was clearly trying to hold in a laugh. 

Fred laughs too and carefully turns himself over so that he’s facing Tadashi and presses a gentle kiss to his lips. “I love you, Tadashi. And prince or no, I’ll be very happy if we can spend the rest of our lives here doing this.”

“You wouldn’t mind living here someday? It wouldn’t be too crazy for you?” Tadashi asks, his tone slightly playful but also hopeful. 

“Hey, I’m planning to be a writer, and I can write pretty much anywhere,” Fred answers with a shrug. “If anything, this place would probably be great inspiration! Especially since I have my very own fairy tale prince. Maybe I’ll be the one writing our story so everyone can know just how amazing you are and how much I love you.”

“Well you’ll have to make sure that you include how much I love you too,” Tadashi tells him with a grin, stroking the side of Fred’s face with his thumb.

“Believe me, I will,” Fred answers, nuzzling into the touch. 

If anyone had told him when he’d woken up three months ago that he’d be here, in a fairy tale castle, snuggling with his prince boyfriend who wanted to spend the rest of his life with him, he would have thought they were completely crazy. It was still a bit hard to believe that any of this was true. But it was. And this was a fairytale that he never, ever wanted to end.


End file.
